Protesters with a group called “Occupy Biden” have spent the past week in President Biden’s Delaware neighborhood calling on him to declare a “national climate emergency.”
According to a description for the protest, which took place near President Biden’s residence in Delaware, the group said that “nonviolent action” is needed in order to push President Biden towards making changes to his climate policy.
On Saturday, the final day of the group’s protest, individuals protested on a road near the president’s house while members of the Secret Service were nearby monitoring the group.
The protesters held signs reading “declare a climate emergency” and kneeled in front of Secret Service members.
Karen Igou, a spokesperson for Occupy Biden, told Fox News that she read the group’s demands to the U.S. Secret Service in hopes of reaching President Biden.
Protesters from Occupy Biden march in Wilmington, Delaware, near President Biden’s house. (Ray Bailey)
“I actually read our letter of demands to the Secret Service because they refused to take our letter,” Igou said. “Again we have two demands: that he declare a national climate emergency and pledge no new fossil fuel projects. He himself has stated that we are in a code red existential crisis but returned from cop 26 to open up more land for drilling. This is unacceptable And [sic] incongruent with life on earth.”
The protest lasted from Dec. 25 through Jan. 1 and a spokesperson estimates that 200 people participated in total.
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Igou added that the organization is demanding President Biden declare a national climate emergency and end new fossil fuel projects by Jan. 31.
Protesters from Occupy Biden talk with Secret Service members on Saturday. (Ray Bailey)
A description for the protest online states that the group planned on camping for the entire week.
“Our plan is to maintain the Climate Justice Occupation all throughout the year-ending holiday week, at all hours of the day and night. We are organizing to have the supports needed for those participating as far as food, water, warming spaces and toilet facilities,” the description states. “While this event is about demanding climate action in the face of woeful inaction by our government, we also call on our community to take this opportunity to work with others from all aspects of our social, environmental and political scene and in this way strengthen and enrich our movement for the people.”
Several other left-leaning organizations joined the group, including the Working Families Party, Democratic Socialists of America and Code Pink.
Protesters from Occupy Biden demonstrate in Wilmington, Delaware, near President Biden’s house. (Ray Bailey)
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Echo Alford, a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, told Fox News that the group participated in the protest to call on President Biden to take action on climate issues.
“The president has the power to declare a climate emergency, but has not done so. He knows that we were occupying land right outside his home, but he never addressed us or our demands. The democrats [sic] control the House, Senate, and White House, they have the power to enact sweeping change to protect our earth and our futures, but they haven’t,” Alford said.
Michael Bagdes-Canning, another protester, said he “wouldn’t have slept in the cold and rain if I didn’t have a message for the president.”
“We went to Wilmington in June to send JPMorganChase a message – 15 of us elders were arrested in front of their credit card headquarters in rocking chairs. At that time we were demanding that Chase quit funding fossil projects. We at Occupy Biden had the same message – we called on President Biden to declare a climate emergency and to end all new fossil projects,” Bagdes-Canning said.
