Beloved actress Jane Fonda was one of 16 activists arrested at a climate change protest in Washington DC on Friday morning.
The arrest comes just days after the Grace And Frankie star said she’d protest every Friday until she was arrested.
CAPITOL POLICE preparing to arrest @JaneFonda and co, protesting climate change inaction.@WUSA9 #ClimateChange #FireDrillFriday #breaking pic.twitter.com/gj7dtKmq1Y
— Mike Valerio (@ValerioCNN) October 11, 2019
“11 o’clock every Friday morning, come get arrested with me,” she told ABC News.
Fonda, who is 81-years-old, was handcuffed and arrested after participating in a protest to demand that Congress introduce the ‘Green New Deal’ immediately, ABC News reports.
Fonda was allegedly warned repeatedly to vacate the premises before she was taken into police custody at around 1pm local time for “crowding and obstructing”, according to United States Capitol Police.
She has since been released after spending a few hours in custody.
Fonda recently moved to Washington, D.C. “to be closer to the epicentre of the fight for our climate.” She’s really serious about making a difference and representing this cause, and it’s incredible to see an older woman taking such an active approach to an issue that is mostly represented by youth. Jane Fonda is the climate icon we need.
In her long career, Jane Fonda has repeatedly used her platform to advocate for important causes, which is one of the many reasons I’m personally obsessed with her. From protesting the Vietnam War to being inspired by Greta Thunberg, Fonda is no stranger to a protest. This isn’t even the first time she’s been arrested, she was taken into custody on drug suspicions (they were actually vitamins) back in 1970, which she believes was President Nixon’s attempt to “ruin [her] respectability.”
“They’re saying, ‘Come on, you know, you’re taking our future away from us. We need — we need you to support us.’ And so grandmas unite,” Jane Fonda said. “I want to stand with them and raise up… their message. This is — this is serious… This is a crisis unlike anything that has ever faced humankind.”
Although Fonda has been passionate about the planet for a long time, she was quick to thank Greta Thunberg for inspiring her to take a more active approach to the issue.
“Register and vote, and vote for the climate. Vote for a Green New Deal. Up and down the ticket, not just president, but all the way down to your local officials,” she said. “And then march. Demonstrate. Make a scene. Put your body on the line.”
In addition to her weekly #FireDrillFriday protests, Jane has also started a web series that will feature climate experts every Thursday to keep the issue of the climate crisis relevant and spread more information.
