Actress Jane Fonda arrested for second time protesting climate change in Washington
After vowing to be arrested every Friday until January to protest climate change, Academy Award-winning actress Jane Fonda was taken into U.S. Capitol Police custody for the second time in two weeks.
Fonda and fellow “Grace and Frankie” actor Sam Waterston were arrested on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Friday afternoon along with more than a dozen other climate activists. The duo was released hours later.
They were protesting as a part of “Fire Drill Friday,” a weekly event organized by scientists, celebrities, and community leaders to pressure lawmakers to take action on climate change.
Waterston joined Fonda and other guests to speak on the steps of the Capitol before engaging in "civil disobedience,” according to a release from Fire Drill Friday.
The Fire Drill Friday demonstrations were inspired by youth climate activist Greta Thunberg and the global climate strikes she led last month. Thunberg spoke before the World Economic Forum in January saying, "I want you to act as if our house is on fire. Because it is."
In an interview with ABC’s Deputy Political Director MaryAlice Parks, Fonda explained why she decided to get involved.
"This is a crisis unlike anything that has faced humankind.” she said.
“The reason that I’m here every Friday, with Fire Drill Fridays, is because I think every single human being has to say, “What can I do?”...There’s only one issue that will determine the survival of our species.”
Fonda recently moved to Washington D.C. for four months because she wanted to "make a commitment to "the issue of climate change."
The theme of Friday’s demonstration was to push for the enactment of the Green New Deal to eliminate all use of fossil fuels by 2030 and create jobs.
ABC's Quinn Scanlan contributed to this report.
