Jane Fonda spends night in jail after latest climate change protest

The Academy Award-winning actress will appear before the U.S. District Court.

November 2, 2019, 2:39 AM

Academy Award-winning actress Jane Fonda has been arrested for a fourth time protesting climate change on Capitol Hill and is spending the night in jail.

It's the first time U.S. Capitol Police have kept her in custody for more than a matter of hours.

Fonda is expected to appear before the U.S. District Court Saturday morning, according to a spokesperson from her organization, Fire Drill Fridays.

Actress Jane Fonda is arrested by U.S. Capitol Police officers during a "Fire Drill Fridays" climate change protest inside the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, Nov. 1, 2019.
Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters

Actresses Rosanna Arquette and Catherine Keener also were arrested along with dozens of other climate activists inside the Senate's Hart Building.

Fire Drill Fridays is a weekly protest organized to pressure lawmakers into taking action on preventing climate change. Fonda's fourth protest centered on promoting women's involvement in the movement.

"Climate change is a women's issue. ... While the climate crisis threatens everyone, it especially impacts vulnerable populations, including women and girls," Fire Drill Fridays said in a statement.

Actress Jane Fonda participates in a "Fire Drill Fridays" climate change sit-in protest before being arrested with other activists inside the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, Nov. 1, 2019.
Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters

Fonda's first arrest came on Oct. 11 after she vowed to be arrested every Friday until January to protest climate change.

"This is a crisis unlike anything that has faced humankind," Fonda told ABC News Deputy Political Director MaryAlice Parks. "The reason that I'm here every Friday, with Fire Drill Fridays, is because I think every single human being has to say, 'What can I do?'

"There's only one issue that will determine the survival of our species."

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