We’ve seen lots of this type of “protest” in the UK lately but this morning Extinction Rebellion and the Sunrise Movement shut down traffic in parts of New York City including FDR Drive. Here’s their announcement to commuters:

Dear commuters: we are interrupting traffic this morning not to annoy you, but to force the public to confront the true dangers of unchecked climate change. If we do not act today, if @potus does not act today, NYC will be underwater by 2100. It's a matter of life and death. pic.twitter.com/2gTTal0zgA

— Extinction Rebellion NYC 🌎 (@XR_NYC) October 25, 2021

If you’re wondering how they got there. It looks like they drove:

#BREAKING Traffic backed up in Manhattan as climate protesters block the FDR Drive during rush hour.

Protesters appeared to have chained themselves in the roadway and are using vehicles to block the way. pic.twitter.com/ysnUABXJOo

— Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) October 25, 2021

This morning’s activity has a more specific goal. They are demanding that President Biden keep the climate change initiatives in the Build Back Better reconciliation bill which is currently being but from $3.5 trillion down to about half that amount.

We are here today to tell @potus: We won't stand by and watch our city drown! He pledged to cut US emissions in half by 2030, but now his climate agenda is on the brink of collapse in Congress. @joebiden must fight to fit the full climate agenda in #BuildBackBetter ahead of COP26 pic.twitter.com/19DU3RRLle

— Extinction Rebellion NYC 🌎 (@XR_NYC) October 25, 2021

They also blocked traffic on the West Side Highway, with protesters linking their arms together inside pipes, which makes it necessary for first responders to carefully cut the pipes before they can arrest people. As you might imagine, commuters stuck behind this blockade were not happy. This guy in the truck apparently revved his engine:

#BREAKING Climate protesters are now ALSO blocking the WEST SIDE HIGHWAY in Manhattan. Driver of a truck appeared to rev his engine as a threat to the group in the street

Video by Kevin RC Wilson FNTV (https://t.co/KCfJ0kwvkq) pic.twitter.com/xYTtHXDAQW

— Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) October 25, 2021

But some people got out of their cars as the XR people were shouting at them through a bullhorn:

UPDATE: Climate protesters from #extinctionrebellion are still blocking FDR Drive in Manhattan. They're vowing to cause further disruption until President Biden takes executive action to fulfill his climate pledge to cut U.S. emissions in half by 2030. pic.twitter.com/zbLAYkRO8d

— Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) October 25, 2021

This top clip shows two different people who are upset. One guy kicks a few plastic pylons because he’s late for work. Then a black woman comes forward and tells the protesters that her daughter is late for school and she is late for work. She says if she loses her job because of the protest, her daughter’s future could be compromised.

#HappeningNow Climate protesters from #extinctionrebellion are blocking the FDR on Manhattans East Side during rush hour. Drivers are erate. pic.twitter.com/tvJt1GPn1I

— Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) October 25, 2021

This clip below shows another angry commuter who has a simple message for the protesters, “F**k you guys!”

After getting into an argument with protesters, one commuter decided to walk down the highway instead of waiting. pic.twitter.com/FHDkebhWdH

— Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) October 25, 2021

Eventually, police cut the pipes off the protesters and arrested them.

UPDATE: The NYPD have arrested the protesters after cutting them free from the chains and removing them from the roadway. #HappeningNow pic.twitter.com/Zaj3UkzBIk

— Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) October 25, 2021

NBC 4 in New York says the traffic blockade lasted about an hour:

The groups spread out on opposite sides of the island were able to successfully block entire directions of traffic for roughly an hour.

Police arrested over a dozen on the FDR and at least 15 demonstrators on the West Side Highway. Both protests were cleared out and most traffic had resumed by 11 a.m.

No one got hurt but the more these groups continue with this tactic the more likely it becomes. Already we’ve seen commuters in the UK dragging protesters off the street. Just last week a woman tried to shove Insulate Britain protesters out of the way with her SUV.

Female Driver has had enough of Extinction Rebellion who are pretending to be Insulate Britain at the moment. pic.twitter.com/Hw7KcLV3nU

— hugotalks (@hugotalks1) October 19, 2021

Hopefully the people who shut down traffic in NYC this morning will be prosecuted but with the current bail reform policies in place, they will all be out on bail within a day at could be back to blocking traffic again tomorrow morning. In the UK that’s exactly what they did so don’t be surprised if this NYC protest follows the same pattern. After all, Democrats are trying to wrap up the BBB bill this week so now is the time for protesters to apply maximum pressure.