Extinction Rebellion protestors gathered in Post Office Square before a march in Downtown Boston on Wednesday. Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Environmental activists with Extinction Rebellion say fifteen people were taken into police custody during a protest that held up traffic Wednesday morning in downtown Boston.
Extinction Rebellion was marching to protest new fossil fuel projects in Massachusetts and to call for more decisive action combatting climate change by local, state, and federal governments.
The group shut down Congress Street and tried to disrupt traffic in a few locations around Boston, some with metal barrels.
Teddy, a member of Extinction Rebellion, told WBZ NewsRadio's James Rojas "the intention was for there to be multiple blockades across the city, where all of those folks were most likely going to end up arrested. Many of them were not able to because the police had gotten advance notice and were blockading those areas already. So we were actually expecting a lot more XR folks in jail today."
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation had warned about the group ahead of time, and said it planned to disrupt "several routes" in the Boston area, with no exact locations.
In Post Office Square, the protesters gathered joined by former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein. Stein told WBZ NewsRadio she was protesting to "support the younger generating that's been robbed of their future."
This is the same group that used a huge pink sailboat to block traffic on the Mass Pike on-ramp in Back Bay last April.
Boston Police say they made several arrests, but we're waiting on more information from officials Wednesday Afternoon. Stay with WBZ NewsRadio for updates:
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