Climate activists ejected from Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s event.

Climate Protesters Disrupt Detroit Free Press Event

Climate protesters made their presence known at a recent event hosted by the Detroit Free Press in Michigan. The event featured Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm as a speaker, but it quickly turned into a scene of chaos and confrontation.

Video footage circulating on social media captured the moment when protesters were forcefully removed from the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham, where the event was taking place. The protesters, part of the climate organization Climate Defiance, were seen chanting and expressing their opposition to projects like the Mountain Valley Pipeline and the Alaska LNG project.

The Detroit Free Press reported that some members of the climate organization had booked rooms at the hotel and even created fake name tags for the event. However, their disruptive actions led to their expulsion from the premises.

Outside the hotel, the protesters unfurled a banner that boldly declared their stance: “End Fossil Fuels.” This demonstration was just one of many orchestrated by Climate Defiance, which has gained attention for interrupting speeches and staging road blockades.

Additional videos from the event showed protesters being forcibly removed from the hotel while passionately chanting, “Don’t let our futures burn.” The group later engaged with reporters, expressing their frustration with Secretary Granholm and the political establishment.

“[Granholm] does not care about the American people or Michiganders,” one protester stated, highlighting Granholm’s previous roles as governor and attorney general of the state. “She is a friend of the corporations and the oil companies.”

Despite the disruption, Secretary Granholm proceeded with her planned remarks, acknowledging the protesters and their cause. She emphasized the need for action on climate change but also recognized the challenges of transitioning away from fossil fuels.

“You cannot just flip a switch because we have whole economies that have been built up around using fossil fuels,” Granholm explained. “The question is, what does that transition look like?”

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden is scheduled to address the “climate crisis” later in the day, highlighting his administration’s efforts to combat climate change.