“We do not do petitions. We do direct action,” the webpage of Climate Defiance, a far-left climate protest organization, reads. “If people in power will not save us we will save ourselves. There is no choice,” it says.
Speaking about their achievements so far, the group says they have “blockaded the White House correspondents’ dinner, stopped play at the Congressional softball game…confronted too many senators and cabinet secretaries to count.” So, for those already familiar with their activities, the news that they confronted Sen. Joe Manchin at a New Hampshire restaurant was anything but shocking.
According to the group, Manchin was so overwhelmed by the situation that he had to flee the diner through the kitchen. “Big update. Big, big update. We just found Joe Manchin yet again, in a diner,” the group’s post on X read. “We swarmed it. We took it over. We seized control. We shut him down so hard he had to flee through the kitchen. We will not walk like sheep to slaughter. We will not stand down. Respect us or expect us.”
Climate Defiance believes Manchin is “the single-largest recipient of oil and gas money.” “He chairs the Senate Energy Committee and uses this role to protect his personal coal company. He earns more income from this coal company than he does from his senate salary. It shows,” they said.
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Based on the video Climate Defiance shared, Manchin was addressing a small group at the diner when they interrupted by shouting anti-fossil fuel slogans. The activists were likely triggered by Manchin’s statement that this “greatest concern” was border security. They kept on chanting, “Off fuel fossils, Manchin, off fuel fossils.” This happened on Tuesday, January 16.
Manchin tried to remain calm and even smiled softly as police officers tried to push the protesters back. The video also showed an activist jumping in front of Manchin’s moving SUV. The group member held out a sign about ending fossil fuel dependence as the senator sped away.
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Pleased with their actions, the climate protest organization said it was “explicitly and unapologetically committed to making life MISERABLE for every person in power who stands between us and the solutions we so desperately need.”
This is not the first time the group has launched an “attack” against Manchin. According to reports, Climate Defiance activists had surrounded the senator at function some days before they swarmed him at the diner. At the time, Manchin had finished addressing the New Hampshire Institute of Politics “Politics & Eggs” forum.
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The organization has been on a mission to shut down Manchin’s New Hampshire events for a while now. It even publicly called for volunteers for this purpose. According to the group, Manchin has been a prominent supporter of fossil fuels for a long time. He even owns a coal company, pushing the Mountain Valley Pipeline natural gas project.
It’s worth noting that Climate Defiance leaders met with John Podesta, a senior White House adviser, last month. After the meeting, a letter they handed to Podester went public. In it, they appreciated the adviser and didn’t fail to remind him that global warming remains “the greatest threat that humanity has ever faced.”
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