On Friday (September 23), a climate activist invaded a tennis match at the Laver Cup in London and set his arm on fire. The incident took place at the O2 Arena in London during the ongoing 5th edition of the Laver Cup tournament.
In a video that had surfaced on social media, the activist could be seen rushing to the court and setting his right arm ablaze. In the process, he also set fire to the playing surface.
The man was seen wearing a white shirt that read ‘End UK Private Jets’. This led to a security scare as the incident occurred during an ongoing match between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Diego Schwartzman.
Today a climate change protester appeared to accidentally set himself on fire at the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London. pic.twitter.com/C0qZRw1QrP
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) September 23, 2022
The climate activist was then escorted out by security officials while the crowd booed him for disrupting the match. Fans were miffed at the fact that the man found legendary tennis player Roger Federer’s last tournament to play spoilsport.
However, this is not the first time that a climate change activist resorted to such theatrics to draw eyeballs. There have been at least 4 occasions in this year alone where ‘saviours of climate’ disrupted elite sporting events to supposedly raise awareness about the changing climate.
Protestor ties herself to the net during 2022 French Open
In another protest at a tennis event, in June this year, a female activist disrupted the semi-final match of the French Open, which was being played between Marin Cilic and Casper Ruud.
With little to no security protocols in place, the climate activist was able to quietly walk to the tennis court and glued herself to the net. The woman was seen wearing a T-Shirt that read, “We have 1028 days left” on both sides. Reportedly, it was in reference to a United Nations report on climate change.
The incident left both players in a state of shock, who then quickly returned to their dressing rooms. After surrounding the activist and untangling her from the net, the security officials escorted her off the court.
Climate change protestor Woman walks into court and tie herself to the net during the game between Ruud vs Clilic at the french Open.Say “we have 1028 days to live” pic.twitter.com/lkeoFzHoe5
— News Talk with Dino Yao (@Dino_dlog) June 3, 2022
After an intermission of about 15 minutes, the play resumed and Casper Ruud managed to clinch the match. In a statement, the Tennis Federation said, “An environmental activist managed to get onto Philippe Chatrier Court and attached herself to the net with metal wires and glue.”
“The young woman, of French nationality, entered the grounds with a valid ticket early in the day. She was then handed over to the police,” it further added.
Climate activists ambush Tour De France
A month later in July 2022, a group of 9 climate activists ambushed the prestigious bicycle race, Tour de France. The incident took place during Stage 10 of the race.
The protestors belonged to a climate group named ‘Dernière Rénovation’, which demanded the renovation of all buildings by the French government for energy efficiency by 2040.
In a viral video, Italian cyclist Alberto Bettiol was seen steering his way through a thick smoke of colourful fumes and climate activists, squatting on the race track. The protestors were seen wearing T-shirts that read, “We have 989 days left.”
Climate activists disrupted the Tour de France today pic.twitter.com/GJ1rzciq8J
— Dr. Lucky Tran (@luckytran) July 12, 2022
The race had to be paused for 15 minutes, during which the local police arrested the activists. Alice, one of the disruptors, claimed, “The reality is that the world towards which politicians are sending us is a world in which the Tour de France can no longer exist. We must act and enter into civil resistance today to save what remains to be saved.”
Protestors sit on track of the British Grand Prix
In the same month, climate activists belonging to ‘Just Stop Oil’ managed to invade the British Grand Prix circuit, despite warnings both by Northamptonshire and Silverstone Police based on Intelligence reports.
A group of 5 activists breached security protocols and invaded the fastest point of the British Grand Prix track, Wellington Straight. They were dragged off the track by security staff and later arrested by the Northamptonshire police.
The climate activists demanded a halt on all new gas and oil projects in the United Kingdom and threatened further disruptions in case of non-compliance by the British government.
Louis Mckechnie (21), who was part of the group, claimed, “I’m in resistance because I cannot stand by while our government licenses new oil and gas projects. Our addiction to oil has brought us to the brink of catastrophe”
“Millions of people face starvation globally as a result of climate breakdown and the fossil-fuelled war in Ukraine. Hungry people are rioting, economies are collapsing – this is what happens when you run out of food,” he alleged.
In a statement, Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) informed that the protestors were removed from the circuit. It stated, “We confirm that after the red flag, several people attempted to enter the track. These people were immediately removed and the matter is now being dealt with by the local authorities.”
Chief Inspector Tom Thompson, event commander, expressed disappointment that the climate activists ignored warnings and took the dangerous decision to enter the tracks.
Climate activist ties his neck to the goalpost
Louis Mckenchie, who disrupted the British Grand Prix, had also invaded a premier league match between Everton and Newcastle United in March this year. To everyone’s shock, he ran onto the field and tied himself to a goalpost in the middle of the match.
Mckenchie wore a T-Shirt that read, ‘Just Stop Oil’. Reportedly, it took bolt croppers and more than 6 people to remove the strap from around his neck. After being taken off the ground, the climate change activist was arrested by the police.
Angry fans were seen throwing objects at the activist, with one fan rushing to the ground to attack him.
— steven croan (@StevenCroan) March 17, 2022
In a statement, Merseyside Police said, “We can confirm a man was arrested after encroaching onto the pitch during the Everton v Newcastle United Premier League fixture. At around 8:55 pm it was reported that a man disrupted the match by running onto the pitch and tying himself to the goalpost at the Howard Kendall Gwladys Street End.”
“The suspect, a 21-year-old man, has been arrested on suspicion of pitch encroachment and he is now in police custody. The game resumed and has now concluded,” it added.
Stunned by the incident, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe blamed the theatrics of the activist for disrupting the momentum of the game. Howe said, “I’ve never seen anything like that. At first, I didn’t realise what was happening to start with. It was a big delay.”
Conclusion
There has been an increase in the number of such coordinated acts of disruption at major events. The disruptive protests by unruly climate change activists are increasingly drawing the ire of common people, including those who might have been sympathetic to the cause. With no clear goals in sight and unjustified use of disruption, the champions of climate activism are now finding themselves on shaky ground.
