A climate protester was beaten by security at Citibank's New York headquarters on Wednesday and was hospitalized with facial injuries, Common Dreams reported. [emphasis, links added]
The incident occurred as “Summer Heat” activists gathered in the bank lobby.
Injured protester Eren Can Illeri It is part of protests calling for a meeting with senior Citibank executives to address the bank's continued investments in fossil fuels.
Summer Heat, a coalition backed by Communities for Change New York, Planet Ultra Profit and Stop the Money Pipeline, has named Citibank a top target this summer.
Video footage of the incident shows Illery filming on his cell phone when a security guard approached him and tried to snatch the device.
BREAKING NEWS: Citibank worker punches peaceful climate activist in face for filming. He was taken to the hospital bleeding profusely.@Citigroup Constantly proving that their violent business is rooted in violent people. This cannot go on any longer. pic.twitter.com/E1KCwQ1dCY
— Planet over Profit (@pop4climate) August 14, 2024
The guard then hit Illery in the face and pushed him to the ground.
“We have been asking Citi for weeks to meet with us to discuss how to address the climate emergency,” Alicé Nascimento, a spokesperson for Summer, told Common Dreams.
“But after weeks of intimidation and threats, instead of meeting with us, they sent security personnel to physically attack peaceful climate activists.”
“It's disgusting that Citi supports violence,” said Alice Hu, a climate activist at Communities for Change in New York.
“We are not asking Citi to take any drastic action. We simply ask them to support the energy transition in the way necessary to curb catastrophic climate change,Alec Connon, lead organizer of the Summer Heat event, told the Daily Mail.
“However, they even ignored our last three meeting requests. It seems they would rather have security attack us than sit down and talk to us like adults.
Since its launch on June 10, Summer of Heat has mobilized more than 4,000 people to take part in protests against Citibank.
More than 475 people have been arrested in connection with the protests, including the grandfather of a cello player last week.
Protesters also reported being pushed by senior Citibank lawyers last month.
“Citi has consistently proven that their violent business is rooted in violent people,” Profit Planet said. “This cannot go on any longer.”
Citibank wrote in an emailed statement to DailyMail.com:These activist groups have repeatedly been given many avenues for constructive engagement, yet they continue to engage in intimidation, intrusion and vandalism.
“We appreciate the NYPD's assistance in addressing this unacceptable behavior that damaged our property and disrupted our colleagues' ability to access their workplaces.
“Our position on tackling climate change through financing is very clear and our track record bears it out. We work with customers to help them decarbonize their businesses while meeting today's energy needs.
“We remain committed to helping support the growth of renewable energy and clean technologies through our $1 trillion sustainable finance target, while continuing to support the transition to a low-carbon economy through our commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. These activities are not mutually exclusive Exclusion.
Top image from x.com/@pop4climate
Read more in the Daily Mail
