Climate protesters arrested after interrupting Easter Mass at New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral, saying ‘silence = death’ and ‘free Palestine’

A video of the incident showed the three moving to the front of the church during the service and holding a banner with an olive tree on it that read, "Silence = Death." While they were being escorted out, one of the protestors shouted, "Free Palestine!"

The demonstrations were conducted by the Extinction Rebellion NYC Palestine Solidary organization. In a statement, one member of the group claimed, "War, occupation, and industrial pollution are poisoning the soil, air, and water in Gaza and all over the planet, destroying the earth’s capacity to sustain life. This destruction is called ‘Ecocide.'"

In the press release, the group described the Extinction Rebellion Palestine Solidary as an "affinity group of Extinction Rebellion New York City activists fighting for a free and peaceful Palestine."

The Extinction Rebellion (XR) claimed to be "a global, nonpartisan climate justice movement using nonviolent direct action to pressure governments to act now to address the climate and ecological emergency and listen to the people’s call for a just, livable future."

The protest at the church followed a day of demonstrations throughout the city from the Extinction Rebellion organization. According to the Daily Mail, the group held a demonstration in Times Square to commemorate "Land Day."

In a display of climate protest, Extinction Rebellion activists also took to the New York Auto Show Saturday and splashed oil on an Electric Ford truck. "NO ELECTRIC VEHICLES ON A DEAD PLANET," the protestors shouted. "Lots of people are going to die. We need to hit the emergency brakes."

In a post on X, the group said, "We just disrupted the NY Auto show to make it clear that electric vehicles alone won’t save us. There are no electric vehicles on a dead planet!”