iStock/rarrarorro(WASHINGTON D.C.) — Academy Award-winning actress Jane Fonda, 81, was arrested by police with a group of about a dozen protesters Friday after being warned repeatedly to leave the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
Inspired by young climate activists like 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, Fonda recently told ABC News that every Friday while she’s in the nation’s capital, she’ll attend “Fire Drill Friday,” a weekly event featuring scientists, celebrities and activists addressing the various facets and impacts of climate change.
Fonda, who has a long career in activism, told ABC News in an earlier interview about her planned effort, “11 o’clock every Friday morning come get arrested with me, or choose not to — it doesn’t matter.”
The actress reportedly decided to leave her home and move to Washington for four months, because she wanted to “make a commitment to” the issue of climate change.
“Fire Drill Friday” is a reference to Thunberg saying during a speech at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland in January, “I want you to act as if our house is on fire. Because it is.”
In an interview with ABC News Deputy Political director MaryAlice Parks for an episode of of ABC News Live’s The Briefing Room, Fonda said that it’s the kids who are leading the charge when it comes to fighting climate change.
“And so, grandmas unite,” she said. “I want to stand with them and raise up…their message. This is serious…this is a crisis unlike anything that has ever faced humankind.”
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