Climate protesters BLOCK guests from entering White House Correspondents Dinner – as they demand Biden keep promise to stop drilling on federal land
- Activists who have objected to Biden’s recent approval of oil projects sought to block the arrival of guests at the Washington Hilton on Saturday
- Footage shows members of the climate group yelling and urging members of the Metro police as they make their way to block an official vehicle outside the site
- The anticipated dinner draws a wide variety of celebrities and media moguls to Washington, with several high-profile attendees arriving Saturday night
Protesters have taken steps to close off access to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, but have so far failed in their attempt to bar reporters and politicians from entering.
After promising to block all access to the event, activists who had objected to Biden’s recent approval of several oil projects were seen trying to block the arrival of guests to the Washington Hilton on Saturday while the dinner was being held.
Footage shows members of the climate group, called Climate Defiance, screaming and yelling at members of the Metro police as they make their way to block an official vehicle carrying one of the many politicians or media personalities who dinner is on.
The anticipated dinner draws a wide variety of celebrities and media moguls to Washington, with some of the high-profile attendees including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Vice President Harris and the President himself.
Reality stars were also well represented this year, with notable personalities such as Lisa Vanderpump and Chrissy Teigen, both seen in the ballroom where the event is held each year.
Protesters formed a blockade hoping to prevent their entry – an effort that proved largely unsuccessful as of 10 p.m., with dinner two hours away.
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Protesters formed a blockade hoping to prevent their entry – an effort that proved largely unsuccessful as of 10pm, with dinner now two hours away
The group, identified as Climate Defiance, had pledged to block all access to the event after objecting to the president’s recent approval of several oil projects. Dinner will still be stationed outside and will continue as scheduled, with guests denied entry from 10pm
Still stationed outside, the dinner went ahead as planned, with guests denied entry as both Biden and headliner Roy Wood Jr. from the Daily Show are about to speak.
Already sitting next to his wife Jill and VP Kamala Harris, Biden said he plans to use his time on stage to answer questions about press freedom and the detention of American journalists.
The statement enraged members of the grassroots group who had gathered to shut down the dinner, due to the president’s apparent decision to ignore their procession and what it stands for.
In statements to the media ahead of Saturday’s dinners, organizers said the blockade served as an attempt to hold Biden, who just announced his re-election bid, accountable for what they claim is a failure to deliver on a 2020 campaign promise.
That promise, to end all fossil fuel extraction, recently came into question — culminating in the procession seen outside the Hilton on Saturday night.