Commentary
Last week, a group of activists called Declare Emergency, funded by the Climate Emergency Fund, poured red powder on the case housing the Constitution in the National Archives and blocked the George Washington Parkway, which is perpetually filled with Washington, D.C., commuters. This follows climate change protests where activists smeared red paint on the African American Civil War Memorial honoring black soldiers last November.
The Climate Emergency Fund is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that declared revenues of $6 million in its latest published tax form in 2022. It has received over $1 million from John Paul Getty’s granddaughter, Aileen Getty, who is repudiating the oil legacy of her grandfather. And left-wing filmmaker Adam McKay, producer of the movies “The Big Short” and “Anchorman,” has pledged to donate $4 million to the fund.
The fund has used its nonprofit tax advantage to finance 116 left-wing climate organizations globally, including Britain’s Just Stop Oil and Germany’s Letzte Generation. Its main goal is to infuse money into climate organizations that engage in vandalism and what it calls “nonviolent” civil resistance—although vandalizing valuable objects with paint constitutes violence. The fund emphasizes the need for disruptive protest in the name of climate change while praising the deadly 2020 Black Lives Matter riots for increasing votes for Democratic candidates.
As a nonprofit entity, the fund’s financial activities are disclosed in public tax documents. Revenues have grown rapidly, from $2.3 million in 2021 to $6 million in 2022. Of this $6 million, nearly $4 million was spent on donations to foreign entities. Domestic entities such as Declare Emergency received $1 million.
Britain’s Just Stop Oil made headlines in 2022 for drenching Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” painting in tomato soup and blocking London’s bridges, including Westminster Bridge, close to Parliament.
In Germany, “Letzte Generation,” or “Last Generation,” has become a household name. Last Generation’s disruptive climate change protests, which include vandalizing buildings and famous paintings, are featured prominently on social media. For the average German, Last Generation supporters are most well-known for causing traffic jams by gluing themselves to major roadways.
These European tactics are now being emulated in America. Traffic blockages will inevitably block firetrucks and ambulances, as protesters did on the Waterloo Bridge in London in November, harming or killing innocent civilians. Bystanders who remove the protesters from the street by force can face criminal penalties.
According to its official website, Last Generation’s mission is to “no longer accept this crime against humanity [climate change] without resistance.” The organization’s leaders are frequently invited to debate on major German talk shows, further increasing the group’s reach and influence. It has over 105,000 followers on X and over 65,000 on Instagram. During these media appearances, the group advocates for the use of renewable energy while ignoring challenges that come with the technology.
Despite its media following, Last Generation may have fewer than 100 official members and relies on funding from the Climate Emergency Fund.
Last Generation realized that the negative publicity in Germany from people frustrated by traffic disruptions and attacks on paintings necessitated a change in tactics. Starting in March, the group is shifting from blocking roads to obstructing “places of fossil destruction,” such as airports. Time will tell whether the Climate Emergency Fund’s disruptive protests in America will do the same—and whether they will also target airports carrying private jets owned by the wealthy elite.
The Climate Emergency Fund through Declare Emergency is now attacking the physical Constitution itself, the proverbial heart of our republic. The nonprofit attempted to damage the Constitution to further its own elitist agenda, even though the Constitution upholds America’s rule of law, its system of checks and balances, and even the tax structure that encourages contributions to such nonprofits. By risking the destruction of our founding document, these radical climate activists show their true colors and their intent to destroy the very fabric of our republic.
Reprinted by permission from The Daily Signal, a publication of The Heritage Foundation.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.