
The environmental activist group Climate Defiance, known for its often viral, disruptive and coordinated protests, announced plans to protest the Democratic National Committeeâs (DNC) winter meeting on Friday.
The DNC will be selecting a new chair, alongside a handful of other leadership positions, at its winter meeting taking place on Jan. 30 through Feb. 1 in National Harbor, Maryland, an official told ABC News in November. Climate Defiance plans to âshut down the DNCâ on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 to protest the âunholy alliance of fossil fuel money and party politics,â according to the sign-up listing on Action Network, an activist organization platform catered toward left-wing causes.
âDemocrats failed US in 2024,â Climate Defiance members wrote. âThey sold out to the highest bidders â fossil fuel companies, crypto scumbags, and robber barons â and still lost to Trump.â
At the meeting, 448 DNC members will be selecting new vice chairs, a treasurer, a secretary and a national finance chair, ABC News reported. The leading candidates to replace current DNC chair Jaime Harrison include chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin Ben Wikler, chairman of the Minnesota Democrats Ken Martinand former Democratic Maryland Governor Martin OâMalley, according to Fox News.
âhe Democratic National Committee is meeting in National Harbor, Maryland to select a new party chair and chart their path out of last yearâs catastrophe,â the protestâs sign-up link description reads.
Climate Defiance has become confrontational with several Democratic politicians in the past, most notably former Vice President Kamala Harris, whom they condemned for ignoring a âclimate emergencyâ in 2023 while disrupting her speech. The group later endorsed her presidential campaign with the hope they could âpressureâ her into adopting their policies.
The group has also protested oil executives, such as ExxonMobile CEO Darren Woods, whose remarks at an event were interrupted by protesters chanting, âExxon lies and people die.â Among the other high-profile Democratic politicians targeted were Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Joe Manchin of West Virginia. The group has also drawn media attention for disrupting speeches of Biden administration officials, overtaking the field of a congressional baseball game and storming a House office building.
Climate Defiance launched with âseed fundingâ from Climate Emergency Fund (CEF), a Los Angeles based nonprofit also focused on strengthening climate change awareness, according to the most recent CEF annual report. CEF notes that it is âincredibly proudâ to be Climate Defianceâs âlead funder.â
Founded by Hollywood filmmaker Rory Kennedy and oil heiress Aileen Getty, Climate Emergency Fund (CEF) also funds other similarly disruptive protest groups demanding business executives, politiciansand the public âchoose a side.â One of these groups includes Just Stop Oil, which made headlines for throwing soup on Van Gogh paintings and recently halting a performance of Shakespeareâs âThe Tempestâ in London.
CEF receives a large share of its funding from Hollywood stars, according to the organizationâs 2022 annual report. It has also received funding from Hillary Clintonâs nonprofit, Onward Together, which previously donated $300,000 to the organization, Fox News reported.
Climate Defiance and the âShut Down the DNC!â host did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation for comment.
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