About 35 climate activists with Extinction Rebellion were arrested Wednesday after they turned Fifth Avenue outside Trump Tower near East 56th Street into an Earth Day sit-in, sitting down across the roadway, unfurling banners and chanting while cars were forced to stop and Midtown traffic briefly seized up. Police moved in as the demonstration stretched on and began taking protesters into custody.
As reported by the New York Daily News, law enforcement on the scene estimated roughly 35 participants and said the demonstration ended in arrests. Video and photographs from the site showed activists sitting in traffic and holding banners that read "activists not terrorists," according to footage reviewed by reporters. The NYPD had not released a formal list of charges or a final arrest tally at the time of reporting.
Photos show the scene
Photographs from Reuters capture the sit-in outside the tower, with activists clustered in the center of Fifth Avenue and banners visible on the sidewalk. The images line up with videos circulating on social platforms and provide a visual record of officers threading through the crowd as the action wound down. The photos underline how a relatively small group managed to briefly disrupt vehicle flow on one of Midtown's busiest corridors.
Organizers framed it as an Earth Day uprising
Extinction Rebellion's New York chapter billed the action as part of an "Earth Day Uprising," organizing direct actions around the city, according to Extinction Rebellion NYC. Organizers described the efforts as a direct-action push to pressure policymakers over climate inaction and corporate influence. Representatives for the group did not immediately respond to requests for comment beyond posts on their events page.
An NYPD spokesman "could not immediately say" how many activists were taken into custody or how they were charged, the New York Daily News reported. Officers worked to clear the roadway and reopen lanes shortly after the arrests, and there were no immediate reports of serious injuries at the scene. At this stage, it remained unclear what, if any, criminal charges would be filed against the demonstrators.
Trump Tower remains a frequent protest target
The tower has been a recurring backdrop for high-profile demonstrations, and nearly 100 people were arrested after a 2025 protest inside the building, The Washington Post reported. That episode, along with others since, has made the Fifth Avenue storefront and public atrium a go-to stage for groups seeking national attention. Police escalations and mass arrests at the site have repeatedly drawn scrutiny and legal questions in recent years.
By late afternoon the roadway had been reopened and Midtown traffic had returned to its usual crawl, images and reporting from Reuters show. Authorities may release more details as arrests are processed and paperwork is completed. This story will be updated if official statements or charging information become available.
