Joaquin Phoenix joined Jane Fonda for her last Fire Drill Friday protest in Washington D.C., along with Maggie Gyllenhaal and Martin Sheen. Phoenix, who made a plea against climate change during his Golden Globe acceptance speech on Sunday, was arrested, protest organizers said. Footage form the scene showed Phoenix being led away from the Capitol Hill steps.
Fonda stated the weekly protests in D.C. in October, and was arrested five times through December. This week’s protests focused on the role of banks and investors who keep financing fossil fuel exploration, reports USA Today. One Fire Drill Fridays video showed protests occupying a Chase bank location.
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In one video, Fonda said this will be the last mach in Washington D.C., although she remains dedicated to the cause.
“We have to be sure that the crisis that is climate change remains front and center like a ticking time bomb,” Fonda said, reports WUSA. “We don’t have very much time, and it’s really urgent.”
This time, Phoenix and Sheen were the two stars arrested. They were taken into custody at around 1:30. In total, 16 people were arrested Friday for unlawfully demonstrating on the East Front of the Capitol, far from the areas designated for demonstrations. They were charged with violating D.C. Code 22-1307, which involves crowding, obstructing or incommoding, notes WUSA.
“Something that oftentimes isn’t talked about in the environmental movement or in the conversation about climate change is that the meat and dairy industry is the third-leading cause of climate change,” Phoenix said during his speech Friday. “I think sometimes we wonder, ‘What can we do in this fight against climate change?’ And there is something you can do today, right now, and tomorrow by making a choice about what you consume.”
Phoenix’s protesting came at the height of the 2020 awards season, which he will be heavily involved in. On Sunday, he won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama for the movie Joker. During his speech, he thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for serving a plant-based meal for the stars. He also spent a chunk of his speech stressing the importance of doing more than just sending thoughts and prayers.
“It’s great to vote, but sometimes we have to take that responsibility on ourselves and make changes and sacrifices in our own lives,” he added. “I hope that we can do that. We don’t have to take private jets to Palm Springs for the awards sometimes, or back, please.”
Phoenix is considered a front-runner for an Oscar nomination thanks to his performance in Joker, in which he plays a realistic version of the titular Batman villain. He was previously nominated for Oscars for Gladiator, Walk the Line and The Master.
Photo credit: Paul Morigi/Getty Images
