UPDATE: WASHINGTON, DC (June 12, 2025) – Greenpeace USA condemns the force federal agents used against US Senator Alex Padilla
Greenpeace USA Program Director Rolf Skar said:
“If a US Senator can be aggressively forced out of a room and handcuffed face-down for trying to ask a question, what should everyday Americans expect from this Administration? We have to be able to speak up, speak out and disagree – even strongly at times – without government forces being deployed to shut down debate.
“It doesn’t matter what your politics are. Americans should be deeply concerned about attacks on free speech and dissent. The future of our country depends on these fundamental rights.
“Greenpeace USA has been the target of attempts to intimidate and silence our advocacy. We know that powerful people and corporations will always try to attack those who dare to criticize them. But we also know that if We, the People, refuse to be silenced, we can protect the rights to speech and protest for future generations.”
WASHINGTON, DC (June 11, 2025) – In response to the Trump Administration deploying the National Guard on protesters in Los Angeles and the recent detention of David Huerta, President of SEIU California and SEIU USWW, Greenpeace USA Democracy Campaign Director, Dr. Folabi Olagbaju said:
“The Greenpeace movement was founded on the belief that peaceful protest is not only a right but a duty. We show up, we bear witness, we hold the line, and we record the truth when those in power try to rewrite it. Right now, the White House is deploying cruel and unjust authoritarian tactics in an attempt to justify unconscionable actions. This administration has made it clear: the only people who are allowed the right to free speech and protest are the people who agree with Trump. Greenpeace USA stands in solidarity with those resisting this unjust use of power – you can’t have climate justice without migrant justice.
“The Trump administration’s decision to weaponize the federal government and U.S. military is an egregious escalation of their war on the Constitution and the right to protest.
“Greenpeace USA expresses our ongoing solidarity with protestors like President Huerta and we echo the SEIU’s demands to release all those being unjustly detained. These terrifying raids on our communities must end. The Trump administration must immediately drop all charges against Huerta and ensure immigration proceedings follow the due process promised to everyone in this country under the Constitution.
“What happened to President Huerta is about more than just a single labor leader. What’s happening in America is no longer a mere threat, but a promise: if you stand up to this abuse of power, you will be a target. That is fascism, not democracy. We are not afraid and we will not back down.” #TimetoResist.
Contact: Madison Carter, Greenpeace USA Senior Communications Specialist, [email protected]
Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.
