24 Arrested as Climate Activists Block Citi Workers from Entering Building

Protesters block the main entrances to the Citi headquarters in Tribeca. Activists stood in front of all other doors to the building as well. Photo: Carl Glassman/Tribeca Trib

As Citi employees arrived for work Thursday morning, some 150 protesters blocked their entrance to the Tribeca building in a massive action against what they say is the bank’s major funding of fossil fuel industries. Two dozen protesters were arrested, according to police, some of whom had stormed the building’s lobby. With the entryways cleared, the waiting crowd of workers slowly made their way inside the company’s 388 Greenwich Street headquarters. 

Police made the first arrests around 9:30 a.m., about two hours after the protesters took positions in front of all entrances and began chanting slogans like “Hey Citi, get off it. The planet over profits!” 

In advance of Climate Week, which begins Sunday, the protest is part of a nationwide series of actions against the climate policies of large banks.

According to the website ClimateVotes, activists with one of the protest organizers, Extinction Rebellion, turned down an invitation to speak to Citi’s Chief Sustainability Officer, saying in a tweet: “It’s time for action, not more talk. @Citi has an opportunity to act next week, when a shareholder resolution explicitly about ending expansion is up for a vote.”

In response to a request for comment, Citi said in a statement: “While we respect the right to protest, activists do not have the right to prevent people from entering our building or customers from entering our branch. The activists were given the opportunity to protest peacefully but they chose to continue to prevent people from coming to work.” 

The statement continued: “Citi supports the transition to a low-carbon economy and is committed to net zero. We are working with our clients as they seek to decarbonize their businesses and we are supporting clean energy solutions through our $1 trillion sustainable finance goal. Our approach reflects the need to transition while also continuing to meet global energy needs.”