Climate activists swarm Joe Manchin and demand end to fossil fuel support: "We shut him down"

Derry, New Hampshire - Climate activists swarmed Senator Joe Manchin at a diner in New Hampshire as they denounced his support of fossil fuel interests.

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin speaks at a Politics & Eggs event in Manchester, New Hampshire, on January 12, 2024, as speculation of a third-party presidential bid mounts.
West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin speaks at a Politics & Eggs event in Manchester, New Hampshire, on January 12, 2024, as speculation of a third-party presidential bid mounts.  © SCOTT EISEN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

Manchin had been giving remarks at a restaurant shortly before the activists intervened.

"If you ask what the greatest threat I think we face, it's the border crisis," the West Virginia senator says in a video shared by Climate Defiance.

That's when he is interrupted by chants of "Off fossil fuels, Manchin, off fossil fuels!"

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Police can be seen trying to eject the activists from the diner, but that doesn't stop their protest from extending into the parking lot. The chants continue as Manchin exits the back of the building and drives off in a black SUV.

"Big update. Big, big update. We just found Joe Manchin yet again, in a diner," Climate Defiance posted on X. "We swarmed it. We took it over. We seized control. We shut him down so hard he had to flee through the kitchen."

"We will not walk like sheep to slaughter. We will not stand down. Respect us or expect us," the group added.

Climate Defiance slams Joe Manchin's pro-fossil fuel actions

Climate Defiance activists rally outside Senator Joe Manchin's Politics & Eggs event in Manchester, New Hampshire, on January 12, 2024.
Climate Defiance activists rally outside Senator Joe Manchin's Politics & Eggs event in Manchester, New Hampshire, on January 12, 2024.  © SCOTT EISEN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

Manchin's appearances in New Hampshire have fueled speculation that he may be considering entering the 2024 presidential race as a third-party candidate.

The senator – who tanked his own party's voting rights, social spending, and climate and taxation aims – already had a recent run-in with Climate Defiance after addressing the New Hampshire Institute of Politics and the New England Council's Politics & Eggs forum on Friday.

"The single-largest recipient of oil and gas money, Manchin blowtorches our planet and gloats," Climate Defiance wrote on Tuesday. "He chairs the Senate Energy Committee, and uses this role to protect his personal coal company. He earns more income from this coal company than he does from his senate salary. It shows."

The group also called out the senator for pushing approval of the 304-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline in Virginia and West Virginia. The project is expected to generate around 90 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually – the equivalent of 26 US coal plants.

"We are explicitly and unapologetically committed to making life MISERABLE for every person in power who stands between us and the solutions we so desperately need," Climate Defiance said.

Cover photo: SCOTT EISEN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

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