Europe 1 with AFP 07:17, 08 September 2023
The first women's semifinal of the US Open between Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova, Thursday in New York, was interrupted for 50 minutes by environmental activists. An action claimed by the Extinction Rebellion movement in a statement.Environmental activists interrupted for 50 minutes the first women's semifinal of the US Open between Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova on Thursday in New York. The Extinction Rebellion movement claimed responsibility for the action in a statement, explaining that "the climate and ecological crises threaten everything on our planet, including sport".
"We are not protesting against the tournament itself; We are not protesting against tennis (...) We are here because we must interrupt this public event as a gesture of last resort to draw public attention to the climate emergency," activist Shayok Mukhopadhyay said in the statement.
"End fossil fuels" chanted
As the players were about to start the second game of the second set, four people, according to the tournament organization, stood up in the upper part of the stands of the huge Arthur Ashe Court and chanted "end fossil fuels".
The referee preferred to interrupt the game and while the public repeatedly shouted "take them out" against the activists, Gauff and Muchova were allowed to leave the court and return to the locker room while the situation was resolved. At the time of the break, Gauff was leading 6-4, 1-0.
When police intervened, three of the activists came out peacefully, but the fourth stuck barefoot to the ground. The police and medical service took several minutes to take him off before taking him out, his hands cuffed behind his back.