62 Arrested At Times Square Climate Protest, Police Say

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Dozens of protesters were arrested after shutting down a Times Square intersection Thursday morning to draw attention to climate change, an NYPD spokesman confirmed.

Demonstrators affiliated with the group Extinction Rebellion parked a green sailboat on Broadway and West 44th Street around 10 a.m. Thursday and surrounded the vessel, blocking cars from using the road. Police began arresting protesters about 45 minutes later, taking 62 people into custody, an NYPD spokesman said. Charges against the protesters are pending but will mostly likely be for disorderly conduct, the spokesman said.

The group Extinction Rebellion launched its "international rebellion" to protest government inaction on climate change on Oct. 7, according to the organization's website. The movement will feature protests in 60 different cities worldwide such as London, Paris

"Numerous actions will take place during the week of October 7th, focusing on institutions whose decisions greatly impact the climate crisis. Among the themes of these actions will be finance, media, education and culture. Traversing the city during Rebellion Week will be a mobile boat that Extinction Rebellion has christened “Vaquita.” It is named for an almost extinct porpoise, native to the northern part of the Gulf of California," the group's website reads.