WATCH: Jane Fonda rallies in DC for first time since pandemic
Jenny Goldsberry
Video Embed
Actress Jane Fonda returned to Washington, D.C., Friday for the first time in three years since being arrested at a 2019 protest.
Fonda donned her red coat just as she had in 2019, as she claimed it is the last piece of clothing she will ever buy in her effort to combat climate change. She was there as a part of “Firedrill Friday,” the same organized event she attended regularly in 2019 in homage to activist Greta Thunberg’s admonition to “act as if our house is on fire.” Fonda was joined by other climate activists and nonprofit organization Greenpeace USA.
CLIMATE CHANGE LAWSUITS ‘CONCERNING’ AND ‘DANGEROUS,’ LEGAL EXPERT CLAIMS
In September, Fonda announced she had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. At 85 years old, Fonda spoke to the crowd in D.C. between occasional coughs. The actress has been involved in endorsing various “climate champions” as she calls them, and subsequently traveled to red states across the country. Her experience inspired her to clarify one of the missions of the movement.
“There’s been huge progress on the green energy front,” Fonda said. “But it can’t yet take on the full burden of providing energy for the United States.”
Throughout her speech, Fonda called out President Joe Biden and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) for not pursuing climate-friendly policies.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“The more we call and write and visit elected officials and let them know there is opposition to new oil [and] gas development, the better. We have to. We have to,” Fonda said in an interview. “They’re not yet feeling enough of the opposition, and too many of them are taking money from the fossil fuel industry. So we have our work cut out for us.”
Between Friday and the last rally, the organization has continued to host virtual “fire drills,” garnering 9 million followers across platforms and receiving 11 million views according to Fonda. The drills will not occur weekly in D.C. as they had in 2019, but will turn their focus to oil-producing states Texas and Louisiana.