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#TBT to That Time We Hung a Giant ‘Resist’ Banner Above the White House

by

February 2, 2017

Last week, seven Greenpeace activists scaled a crane near the White House and inspired a million promises to #ResistOften.

Within minutes of the “RESIST” climbers unfurling their banner over the DC skyline, the Greenpeace community (that’s you) was right there beside them pledging to resist any and all attacks on our climate and communities.

Seven people scaled that crane last Wednesday morning, but by the time they came down there were millions of motivated activists across the country doing the work of the resistance.

And in the past week, Trump has given us a lot to resist.

With the hand-painted “RESIST” banner still blowing in the breeze — where he surely saw it as his motorcade departed from the White House’s South Lawn that afternoon — our illegitimate president signed an executive order banning Muslim immigrants and refugees from entering the United States. He then fired acting Attorney General Sally Yates, who ordered the Department of Justice not to defend the ban.

That’s on top of his attempts to resurrect the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, muzzle federal climate and clean energy scientists, and stock his cabinet with white supremacists and climate deniers. One of those climate deniers, Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson, was confirmed by the Senate yesterday in the most divided vote for any Secretary of State in history.

It’s day 13 of this administration, and the pace of terrifying and unprecedented attacks on our civil rights, our climate, and our democracy is already terrifying and unprecedented in itself.

But when we said #ResistOften, we meant it. And you did too.

Those seven climbers are back safe on the ground, hard at work putting their commitment to resist often into action. Two were honored by the city of San Francisco this week for their role in the banner drop. Another joined a call with hundreds of people from the Greenpeace volunteer community last night discussing how to get involved in the resistance locally.

And just like last week, you are hard at work right beside them.

You’re flooding airports around the country to demand that immigrants’ and refugees’ rights be respected and they be let in the country.

You’re rallying outside the Supreme Court and federal courthouses nationwide to resist the Trump administration’s attacks on civil rights and basic equality.

You’re making thousands upon thousands of phone calls to Congress, ensuring that Trump’s dangerous cabinet nominations are some of the most controversial and contested in history.

And you’re stepping up to deepen your involvement in this movement. In the past week, we’ve seen an incredible surge in participation on Greenwire, our online hub for volunteers and organizers, and an influx of financial support from people all over the world. We’re truly grateful — not just for your support for Greenpeace, but your commitment to the resistance at this crucial time.

This is what our resistance will look like — today and every day for the next four years.

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