Protesters detained after entering Biden campaign HQ in Wilmington DE - The News Journal

Protesters detained after entering Biden campaign HQ in Wilmington DE

Climate protesters who entered Biden campaign headquarters led away in handcuffs Monday
Isabel Hughes Esteban Parra

Nearly two-dozen people were led away in handcuffs from President Joe Biden's 2024 campaign headquarters in Wilmington during a Monday morning protest, according to city police and the group organizing the demonstration.

The protest, which brought together about 100 people, was organized by Sunrise Movement, a youth-led climate-focused group. They demanded an end to the use of fossil fuels and called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, to end what protesters called the "genocide" of Palestinians.

While many participants remained outside the Brandywine Building on North West Street, at least two dozen entered.

They could be seen being taken away in plastic handcuffs by Wilmington officers, who were both inside and outside the building.

"Expect more from us," said Ariela Lara, an organizer who traveled from Bay City, California, to protest.

Why was the protest held?

According to Sunrise, the protest was organized after months of campaigning. The organization is "targeting both Republicans and Democrats ahead of the 2024 election," a news release said.

Last month, protesters "disrupted dozens of GOP Presidential candidates’ events in Iowa and New Hampshire," according to the release. In December, the organization delivered a petition to Biden with 48,000 signatures "calling on him to act on Sunrise’s campaign demands."

Yet the president has fulfilled several of Sunrise’s key demands, including pausing all approvals of permits to export liquefied natural gas. During this pause, the administration "will take a hard look at the impacts of LNG exports on energy costs, America’s energy security, and our environment,” Biden said.

Last year, Biden also established the American Climate Corps, which Sunrise praised in a September post on X. The corps, according to the White House, is an "initiative to train young people in high-demand skills for jobs in the clean energy economy."

Still, Lara said she attended Monday's protest because her community is "enduring severe storms, homes are being flooded (and) power outages are lasting weeks."

"When fires come to California, we're breathing in toxic air," she said. "I'm here because my community is suffering. I'm here because I want a livable future and Biden needs to declare a climate emergency."

The 17-year-old also claimed Biden is funding the killing of Palestinians.

"Instead of taking action on climate, he is spending his time setting bombs in Gaza," Lara said.

Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt pushed back on the claims, saying the president "secured the single largest climate investment in history, which puts the U.S. on a path to cut climate pollution in half by 2030."

"President Biden is working hard to finish the job, while Donald Trump has promised to undo all the progress we've made," Hitt added. "As president, Trump called climate change a “ hoax” and slashed critical environmental protections."

Biden, who has long supported Israel, has also criticized the country for some of its actions in the war against Hamas, last week saying its military actions in Gaza were “over the top,” the New York Times reported.

The Washington Post also reported that some of the president’s aides are urging him to be even more critical of Israel Defense Forces operations.

What were protesters charged with?

A Wilmington police spokesperson said officers were called to the building a little before 9:45 a.m. "in reference to a large group of subjects who were trespassing and acting disorderly inside of the building."

Building management and security personnel told responding officers that the protesters were trespassing and had refused to leave. It's not immediately clear how they managed to get past the locked security gate and up to the eighth floor of the building.

Wilmington police said while some protestors left when officers arrived, others "continued to refuse instructions to leave the building."

Police detained 21 "adult subjects," who will be charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.

By about 11:15 a.m., members of the group said they were taking a short break but planned to be outside all day. Many donned black shirts that read "Declare a climate emergency," while others held bright yellow signs with the same words.

Other signs read "Fund climate change, not genocide."

This is a developing story. Return to delawareonline.com for updates.

Got a tip? Send to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com or 302-324-2785. For all things breaking news, follow her on X at @izzihughes_ Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.

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