Climate activists covered the British prime minister's home in black cloth to protest his oil policy.
Four members of activist group Greenpeace were arrested Thursday in North Yorkshire, England, after covering the facade of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's house in black drapes to protest new oil policies.
"We desperately need our prime minister to be a climate leader, not a climate arsonist," said Philip Evans of Greenpeace. "Just as wildfires and floods wreck homes and lives around the world, Sunak is committing to a massive expansion of oil and gas drilling."
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The activists – clothed in bright orange jumpsuits – climbed onto the roof of the prime minister's residence and stayed with the display until their arrest. The group also unrolled a banner declaring, "NO NEW OIL."
The demonstration took place while Sunak was on vacation in California.
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Greenpeace organized the stunt to protest Sunak's announcement on Monday that Britain will be pursuing energy independence via expansion of oil and gas extraction in the North Sea.
The announcement angered environmental groups, who have cited the nation's past promises to bring its net carbon emissions to zero by 2050.
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Sunak has not backed down from the oil and gas expansion, however, citing national security interests in divesting from Russian oil.
"We make no apology for taking the right approach to ensure our energy security, using the resources we have here at home so we are never reliant on aggressors like (Russian President Vladimir) Putin for our energy," Sunak's office said in a statement defending his climate policies.
Climate activists have staged increasingly public stunts in recent years to bring attention to their cause.
European ecological groups have vandalized paintings, stopped traffic on major roads, and even disrupted weddings to grab public attention.
