Several climate activists arrested after blocking traffic near Boston’s South Station

BOSTON — Drivers near South Station in Boston faced more than the usual headaches on Thursday as police moved in to arrest climate activists who were blocking traffic during the height of the morning rush.

The group, Extinction Rebellion Boston, says some of its “XR rebels” took to the streets “...to demand that the Healey administration ban new fossil fuel infrastructure,” while holding signs and banners in the middle of the road.

Police, in turn, took to the streets to arrest several of them. A spokesperson for the Boston Police Department did not have the exact number of arrests as of 11:30 a.m.

In a post to the protesting group’s website, an event organizer said he was among those arrested.

“My grandchildren are facing a world of climate and ecological collapse, with social crises inevitably following. How bad it will be depends on what we do today,” said Monty Neill.

Members of Extinction Boston have made headlines previously. In June, some thong-wearing XR activists mooned state senators and disrupted a legislative tax relief debate in the Massachusetts Senate. They were arrested and escorted out of the chamber.

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