A climate protester was hospitalized with facial injuries on Wednesday after being punched by a security guard at Citibank’s New York headquarters, Common Dreams reports.
The incident occurred as activists with the Summer of Heat campaign were gathered in the bank’s lobby.
Eren Can Illeri, the injured protester, was part of the protest demanding a meeting with Citibank executives to address the bank’s continued investment in fossil fuels.
Summer of Heat, a coalition backed by New York Communities for Change, Planet Over Profit, and Stop the Money Pipeline, has made Citibank a primary target this summer.
Since the 2015 Paris climate agreement, Citibank has invested $396.3 billion in coal, gas, and oil infrastructure projects.
A climate protester was hospitalized with facial injuries on Wednesday after being punched by a security guard at Citibank’s New York headquarters, according to protest organizers
Eren Can Illeri (pictured) the injured protester, was part of the protest demanding a meeting with Citibank executives to address the bank’s continued investment in fossil fuels
‘We have been asking Citi to meet with us for weeks to talk about what it can do to tackle the climate emergency,’ Alicé Nascimento, a spokesperson for Summer of Heat told Common Dreams. ‘But rather than meet with us, they have sent their security guards to physically attack peaceful climate activists after weeks of intimidation and threats.’
Video footage of the incident shows Illeri filming with his phone when a security guard approached him and attempted to grab the device.
The guard then punched Illeri in the face and pushed him to the ground.
‘Citi backs violence and it’s sickening,’ said Alice Hu, a climate campaigner for New York Communities for Change, who said the violence that took place at the company’s HQ is a direct reflection of ‘the violence of fossil fuels and climate chaos.’
Pictured: A coalition of immigrant communities and climate activists protest outside Citigroup’s headquarters. Activists, some of whom are members of Extinction Rebellion and the Sunrise Movement, participated in the protest focused on migrant communities affected by the bank’s financial backing of the fossil fuel industries
Since its launch on June 10, Summer of Heat has mobilized over 4,000 people in protests targeting Citibank.
Over 475 individuals have been arrested, including a cello-playing grandfather last week, in connection with these protests.
Protesters also reported being shoved by a top Citibank lawyer last month.
‘Citi keeps proving their violent business is rooted in violent people,’ said Planet Over Profit. ‘This can’t go on.’
DailyMail.com has reached out to Citibank for comment.
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