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Climate Activists Arrested For Camping On Train Tracks Along Puget Sound

By Ashley Ahearn (KUOW/EarthFix)
Anacortes, Washington May 16, 2016 3:39 p.m.

Fifty-two people were arrested Sunday after camping out on train tracks that service oil refineries in northern Puget Sound.

They were among hundreds of activists who demonstrated against fossil fuels in Anacortes, Washington.

Elizabeth Claydon was one of them. She's 24 and has never been arrested before.

"We were woken up a little after 5 a.m. with SWAT teams around us," Claydon said. She said she felt compelled as a young person to push for action on climate change.

"Corporations are not complying and not changing and government is not acting fast enough so I'm going to continue to do this as long as I need to," Claydon said.

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More than 100 people have been camped out on the rail lines leading to a pair of oil refineries in Washington since Friday. Sunday morning, officials arrested 52 of the protestors.

More than 100 people have been camped out on the rail lines leading to a pair of oil refineries in Washington since Friday. Sunday morning, officials arrested 52 of the protestors.

Courtesy of 350 Seattle

The protests in Washington mirrored those that have now taken place on six continents over the past week and led to the closures of coal plants and mines from the United Kingdom to Brazil.

Tens of thousands of people have staged protests around the world calling on leaders to “break free” from fossil fuel dependency.

Kayakers blocked coal ports in Australia and Indonesia as well as oil terminals in British Columbia and Washington.

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