Source: Al Bello / Getty / Protestor
We heard of climate activists chaining themselves to trees, but one protestor decided to take things to another level by gluing his feet to the floor.
Coco Gauff and U.S. Open attendees had to wait a bit to see Gauff advance to her first U.S. Open Final when climate activists decided to use one of professional tennis’ biggest tournaments to get their message about fossil fuels destroying the planet out.
One of the four protestors let the world know how serious he was about protecting the planet by gluing himself to the floor.
Per NBC News:
The match between Gauff, of the U.S., and Muchová, of Czechia, was delayed for 49 minutes, the U.S. Tennis Association said. Gauff would go on to win and seal a place in the final on home soil, though fellow American Madison Keys later lost her semifinal.
Thursday’s disruption — claimed by the group Extinction Rebellion — follows several protests by environmental activists from other groups, including one that recently blocked the route to the Burning Man festival in Nevada and others that have targeted famed works of art.
Stacey Allaster, the tournament director, notes the protestors were in the upper area during an interview during tournament coverage, NBC News reports.
“When security got there, they found that one of the protesters had physically glued themselves in their bare feet to the cement floor,” said Allaster.
According to the U.S. Tennis Association, three of the four protestors escorted out were women, and the fourth took more time because they “affixed their bare feet to the floor of the seating bowl.”
Extinction Rebellion took responsibility for the protest, saying, “No tennis on a dead planet,” and writing in a statement, “Tennis-as-usual won’t be possible on a planet in which humanity fails to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. If activists don’t disrupt these games, the climate will.”
Coco Gauff Took It All In Stride
Gauff didn’t let the protest get to her and also didn’t have any issue with the protestors because she said it was done in “a peaceful way.”
Per ESPN:
“I always speak about preaching about what you feel and what you believe in,” Gauff said. “It was done in a peaceful way, so I can’t get too mad at it. Obviously I don’t want it to happen when I’m winning, up 6-4, 1-0, and I wanted the momentum to keep going. But hey, if that’s what they felt they needed to do to get their voices heard, I can’t really get upset at it.
Coco Gauff looks to win her first U.S. Open Final when she takes on Aryna Sabalenka tomorrow, you already know who we’re rooting for.
—
Photo: Al Bello / Getty
