Climate protesters and police clash outside Burning Man festival

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At the Burning Man festival, a clash between climate change protesters, festival-goers, and police ensued after protesters blocked access to the festival by road, asserting that festival-goers were not truly committed to Burning Man’s original principles of inclusion, decommodification, and environmentalism. Afterward, the protesters accused police of using excessive force and stifling their Free Speech rights.  

Key Players

The Seven Circles Alliance (SCA), “a coalition of diverse groups that employ direct action to bring class consciousness to the climate movement and force political and economic system change through a decolonial lens,” identifies climate change as a systemic issue and calls for strikes against modern capitalism. 

Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Rangers responded to the protest, which took place within the Pyramid Lake Paiute reservation. Videos posted online show the Rangers forcefully breaking up the protests.

Further Details

Burning Man is a six-day festival in Nixon, Nevada, where attendees, known as “burners,” are encouraged to leave behind the pressures and norms of society and live a truly liberated life. At the festival, burners are not allowed to exchange money for commodities and are encouraged to experience radical self-reliance, as well as radical self-expression. At the end of the festival, participants burn a massive effigy of “the Man,” a symbol of liberation from society. 

“Our intention is to generate society that connects each individual to his or her creative powers, to participation in community, to the larger realm of civic life, and to the even greater world of nature that exists beyond society,” the festival’s website states. In recent years, it has exploded in popularity, causing a cap of 80,000 participants to be placed on the event for environmental reasons. 

On Aug. 27, 2023, protesters blocked the one road in and out of the festival, stopping many attendees from reaching the camping grounds. The protesters, who organized with the SCA, parked a trailer across the two-lane highway to call for action on climate change and protest the alleged hypocrisy of the burners. Protesters felt that the burners had lost sight of the original values of the festival, asserting that it was now an event for “Silicon Valley’s technocrats.” Protesters demanded that the festival ban private jets, single-use plastics, and unlimited generator and propane use. 

Chained to the trailer and surrounded by signs that read “Burners of the World Unite,” “Abolish Capitalism,” “Ban Private Jets,” and “Mother Earth Needs Our Help,” protesters clashed with angry festival attendees. In a video posted on YouTube, those caught in traffic approached the demonstrators and engaged in an expletive-filled argument. Burners unsuccessfully attempted to move the blockade from the road.

At 1 p.m., park rangers responded to the scene. A video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, shows a ranger using a truck to plow through the blockade with at least one individual still chained to the trailer. The video then shows rangers arresting protesters and clearing the barricade. It also appears that a ranger aimed a weapon at the protesters, directing them to the ground. It is uncertain if the ranger was wielding a firearm. 

The SCA contends that the ranger did aim his gun at the group, saying, “I’m going to take you all out.” 

At 1:36 p.m., the protesters and roadblock were cleared, but traffic reportedly remained backed up for hours.

Outcome

A statement from the park rangers said that five activists were cited for the disturbance and were later released. 

“One ranger used his vehicle to move the blockade debris out of the roadway to allow Burning Man traffic to proceed,” the statement read. “The involved Ranger’s conduct is under review.” According to The Guardian, the protesters have a court date scheduled in October 2023.

The SCA sees the response to their protest as yet another example of the United States’ misguided goals. 

“The excessive response is a snapshot of the institutional violence and police brutality that is being shown to anyone who is actively working to bring about systemic change within the United States, including the climate movement,” the group stated.