Climate protesters succeeded in disrupting an event in Maryland featuring “Petro Pete,” otherwise known as U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
The former Democratic presidential candidate failed in his attempt to engage with the protesters and eventually exited the stage at Baltimore’s Meyerhoff Symphony Hall as activists rained down chants and crashed the stage.
“Your DOT just approved the Seaport Oil Terminal, a project that will have 80 coal plants worth of greenhouse gas emissions and will worsen air quality in areas that already live in cancer clusters,” one protester told Buttigieg from the stage.
“This is about environmental racism and it’s about the climate impacts this project will have.”
Breaking: we just chased Secretary Pete Buttigieg off the stage at the Meyerhoff Symphony.
Petro Pete is a coward. As we write he is ramming down our throats the Sea Port and GulfLink oil terminals – each worse than Keystone.
We must resist him with all we’ve got. And we will. pic.twitter.com/aVKeCre5eH
— Climate Defiance (@ClimateDefiance) October 10, 2023
Buttigieg was asked if he would like to address the concerns but his responses were evidently not satisfactory, and he could be heard in one portion of the video clip saying he didn’t want to “say anything off the cuff.”
“Think about why he said he can’t ‘speak off the cuff’ on climate. Please! We’re ready to! We’re happy to have a conversation with Secretary Pete,” one of the protesters shouted after the Transportation Secretary bolted.
“Stop S.P.O.T. and GulfLink, stop Petro Pete!” shouted protesters. “End fossil fuels, Pete!” they demanded, and “Stop Petro Pete!”
Climate Defiance, self-described as a “youth-led group using direct action to resist fossil fuels,” tweeted video and images from the event, calling the former mayor a “coward” for leaving the Baltimore Banner’s “Impact Maryland” summit which was also reportedly attended by Gov. Wes Moore.
“Today we took over a keynote address by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg,” the group tweeted.
“Humiliated, he fled,” they continued. “Craven and corrupted, Petro Pete is destroying entire communities to enrich his fossil fuel cronies. So we did something he will never forget. And we did not apologize.”
Today we took over a keynote address by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Humiliated, he fled.
Craven and corrupted, Petro Pete is destroying entire communities to enrich his fossil fuel cronies.
So we did something he will never forget. And we did not apologize. pic.twitter.com/TfHYqorfQc
— Climate Defiance (@ClimateDefiance) October 11, 2023
One of the protesters was once “a volunteer on the Buttigieg presidential campaign” and was “now repulsed by her former role model,” according to the group.
One of the people in today’s action was a volunteer on the Buttigieg presidential campaign. She is now repulsed by her former role model. People across the county are waking up, realizing that Petro Pete is as slick & slimy as the fossil fuel projects he rubber-stamps. (3/4)
— Climate Defiance (@ClimateDefiance) October 11, 2023
“Compromised, cowardly, and utterly, utterly complicit, Pete has not met the moment. He craves power but lacks conviction,” Climate Defiance tweeted.
Compromised, cowardly, and utterly, utterly complicit, Pete has not met the moment. He craves power but lacks conviction. He feigns concern for the climate but can’t admit it is unacceptable to build new fossil fuel infrastructure in 2023. He is not the leader we need. (4/4)
— Climate Defiance (@ClimateDefiance) October 11, 2023
“End fossil fuels, Pete!” protesters shouted in video footage. “Which side are you on, Pete? Which side are you on?”
Climate Defiance accused Buttigieg of running away “like a bunny.”
Please. We confronted you there and you fled *your own* keynote to avoid our questions about fossil fuels. You bolted like a bunny. You escaped through the loading dock because you were ashamed to show face. Your cowardice was exposed to 100k+ people. You fool no one, Petro Pete. https://t.co/sF6rLK6tDV
— Climate Defiance (@ClimateDefiance) October 11, 2023
“Banner officials stopped the program and cleared the symphony hall for about 15 minutes. Officials waited for Baltimore Police to arrive and assist the event’s security guards, some of whom had tussled with the protesters on stage. The police arrived and assisted in ushering the protesters out the door,” Baltimore Business Journal reported.
The audience eventually returned to its seats and Buttigieg returned to the stage.
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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