On Thursday, two environmental activists sneaked into two of the most media events of the year in New York, the U.S. Open Tennis and the Fashion Week.
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The first protest took place in the middle of the match between Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova, when three activists from the organization Extinction Rebellion (ER), which fights the effects of the climate crisis, began shouting from their seats "End Fossil Fuels."
When tournament security and NYC police approached the environmentalists to remove them from Arthur Ashe Stadium, they realized that one of the ER activists had stuck his bare feet to the ground, making it difficult to remove him from the venue.
The match was suspended for 49 minutes, during which many attendees became impatient and shouted at the activists. Coco Gauff, however, was much more understanding.
"I wasn't angry with those who protested. I always say you have to preach what you believe in, and they did it peacefully," she said, adding that there are things that we have "what to do better" to contain climate change.
"We have tried non-disruptive protests for fifty years, and they have been of no use. They leave us no choice but to resort to disruptive methods," said Jack Baldwin, a spokesman for the climate activists.
Shortly after, at the opening event of New York Fashion Week, activists from PETA, an organization in favor of animal rights, stormed the catwalk where the Coach models were parading.
"Coach: Leather Kills" read the sign that one of the PETA activists raised above her head while another half-naked activist, who had painted her entire body, protested using the same slogan.
"It's time to stop selling other people's skin and put an end to leather," PETA said on social media, as police detained activists on the catwalk.