(Newswire.net — January 27, 2017) — The Greenpeace protesters, which were arrested on Wednesday after unfurling a banner reading “Resist” on a construction crane near the White House, are facing charges for burglary and destruction of property.
“Due to the extreme danger of the situation, the Metropolitan Police Department monitored the situation until the protesters descended from the crane at 10:04pm,” the MPD said in a statementon Wednesday, ABC News reported.
The police said in a statement that seven individuals were detained and taken into custody. The Greenpeace activists who pulled the stunt are charged with “Second Degree Burglary, Unlawful Entry and Destruction of Property,” according to MPD.
If convicted, the activists would be sentenced on Thursday, according to Greenpeace.
The 35ft by 75ft banner reading “Resist” was clearly visible from the White House, as the construction site of the old Washington Post building is only a few blocks away.
According to the police, the protesters equipped with climbing gear prevented the workers from entering the site and occupied the 270ft crane for 14 hours before descending.
The activists who climbed the crane “aren’t amateurs”, according to Lee DeLong, a senior vice president of Clark Construction, and the lead contractor in charge of the site. He explained that climbing the crane requires the knowledge of how a crane works.
Although he didn’t disclose the exact sum, DeLong said that the stunt which prevented construction workers to do their job for a day had a significant financial impact on the company.
Addressing the incident as President Trump’s advisor on ecology, billionaire inventor and tech entrepreneur, Elon Musk, said that constant attacks and protests against the U.S. President, Donald Trump, won’t help in resolving issues like the climate change.
“This is something we need to strive for and the more voices of reason that the President hears, the better,” Elon Musk told the reporters. He added that simply attacking President Trump “will achieve nothing.”
“Are you aware of a single case where Trump bowed to protests or media attacks? Better that there are open channels of communication,” Musk stressed.
President Trump’s stance on the climate change issue sparked an outrage back in 2012 after he referred to it as a “hoax.”