At least one man was arrested Sunday when climate activists staged a protest at the Midtown Apple store, spray painting its glass windows.
Photo by Dean Moses
At least one man was arrested Sunday when climate activists staged a protest at the Midtown Apple store, spray painting its glass windows.
Demonstrators from Extinction Rebellion NYC assembled inside and outside of the 5th Avenue Apple store in an effort, they say, to denounce companies from backtracking on their previous support of the Paris Agreement; and the Trump administration, which the group charges is funneling billions of dollars to fossil fuel companies.
Inside the store on July 6, as prospective customers perused the latest laptops and smart watches, a group disrupted business by unfurling a banner and chanting “Dump Trump, Apple!” Police officers raced to the store floor, where they ejected the protesters from the business.
Outside the store, more activists were spray-painting the words “Boycott” and “Tim + Trump = Toxic,” referencing Apple CEO Tim Cook.
“In 2023, Tim Cook (CEO of Apple) called combating climate change one of the most urgent priorities of our time. Fast forward to 2025, and he’s donating to Trump, the man leading the charge to roll back all climate progress. They’ve betrayed their customers and the planet at the most critical moment in human history,” said Miles Grant, a spokesperson for the Extinction Rebellion.
During the chaos, one man was grabbed by officers and cuffed. Officers on the scene could be observed using their fingers to test whether the paint was removable.
“You are going to have to clean this,” a security guard said to the cops.
“No, you are,” one officer responded before walking away.
The protest comes as record-breaking rainfall hits Central Texas, where the death toll from flooding has reached 67 lives.
Extinction Rebellion says Big Tech is one of the planet’s fastest-growing sources of carbon emissions. According to a report from The Verge last month, Google’s greenhouse gas emissions have shot up more than 50% since 2019, fueled by AI data centers.
“Eight years ago, Big Tech CEOs were quick to call out Trump for ditching the Paris Agreement. Now? They’re totally silent. They care more about protecting their own wealth than they do about the planet. Hypocrisy at its finest!” Evan Kravitz, an activist who participated in the protest, said.
A Texas-native who also joined the protest agreed.
“These companies wrapped themselves in glossy green branding and diversity pledges. But when it came time to take a stand, they chose profits over people. That’s not neutrality—it’s complicity,” Danielle said. “My home state is underwater right now. This is the cost of their cowardice.”
amNewYork reached out to Apple for comment and is awaiting a response.
