Nevada Tribal Rangers RAM climate activist blockade of road leading to Burning Man, mass arrest protesters

Climate protesters in Nevada shut down a highway, causing a 10 mile traffic jam for those trying to get to the Burning Man festival. The handful of Extinction Rebellion activists sat in the roadway blocking the campers and burners from going through.

Burning Man attendees were really unhappy about it and confronted the activists, only to have them still sit there in the middle of the road. Freedom News was on the scene and captured footage of the demonstration, which pitted 6 climate change activists from the Seven Circles group against Burning Man attendees.

Freedom News posted footage on X, quoting the officers saying "I'm gonna take all of you out!" Activists cried that they had no weapons, while a ranger countered that the protesters were "trespassing on tribal land." 

The Pyramid Lake Police Department had posted about the upcoming festivities at Burning Man, saying "As we all know Burning Man is soon coming up, and with that there will be an influx of not only traffic but LAW ENFORCEMENT from outside jurisdictions. If a tribal member gets stopped by an outside jurisdiction please let them know you are tribal, if possible provide them with your tribal identification card, or request a tribal officer. Please be courteous, these agencies are here to assist in keeping the community safe for all of the residents who call it home.
Thank you very much for your understanding."



The activists seemed incredibly shocked that they were facing consequences for their actions. The video was shared across social media.

The 6 activists locked themselves to a trailer, and when Burning Man attendees could not convince them to move on, police were called. Those rangers from Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Police Department of Nevada made quick work of the activists.

The police drove straight through the barrier, at which point the activists started crying and sobbing "we're non-violent!" The rangers ordered the activists to the ground at gunpoint, arrested them, and carted them away.

"We're environmental protesters!" they said, apparently shocked that officers were arrested them and clearing them from the road. The activists wanted Burning Man to ban single-use plastics and private jets.

They held up signs saying "ban private jets," and "burners of the world unite," and "abolish capitalism." The group, called Seven Circles, posted about their disrupted protest.



Seven Circles put out a press release about their actions, saying that the protest was an "urgent call to action."

The group blocked a main thoroughfare using a trailer, lock-ons, and banners with the words “BURNERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!”, “ABOLISH CAPITALISM”, and “GENERAL STRIKE FOR CLIMATE”, they wrote.

They criticised the "popularization of Burning Man among affluent people who do not live the stated values of Burning Man, resulting in the commodification of the event."

"The group demands the following of the leadership of Burning Man: 

"1. BE RADICALLY HONEST: Admit that infinite growth is incompatible with sustaining the Earth's systems and that the green transition is a lie perpetuated by those in power. Burning Man must advocate for system change on both political and economic levels.

"2. MOBILIZE OUR COMMUNITY: Formally issue a call to action to the Burning Man community, urging Burners to actively participate in direct action and support general strikes to initiate system change. This effort should be done in collaboration with existing social justice and environmental movements.

"3. LEAD BY EXAMPLE: Ban private jets, single use plastics, unnecessary propane burning, and unlimited generator use per capita at the nine day event in Black Rock City, Nevada."

Extinction Rebellion has staged many similar actions in Britain, where their antics snarl traffic for hours. In the UK, the activists link hands and walk slowly down the road, angering motorists and endangering lives. 

The global group claims that they are "a decentralised, international and politically non-partisan movement using non-violent direct action and civil disobedience to persuade governments to act justly on the Climate and Ecological Emergency."

And they have their own set of demands, as well, saying "Governments must tell the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, working with other institutions to communicate the urgency for change; Governments must act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025; Governments must create and be led by the decisions of a Citizens’ Assembly on climate and ecological justice."

They claim to be non-violent and act out their "civil disobedience" through road blockages. Many claim that they will not have children because climate change is too scary to allow them to procreate.

Activists have previously super-glued themselves to roadways, to the gates of Buckingham Palace, and have stopped subways from moving through tunnels. 

While much of this has been tried in the UK, police have been hesitant to simply remove the nuisance-makers from the roads. That was not the case in Nevada.