Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's speech at Michigan State University was interrupted by protesters chanting, "Petrol Pete" on Wednesday night, leading to the arrest of one individual.
MSU Police and Public Safety said one person was arrested and charged with disorderly assemblages and conduct, an MSU ordinance. The charge is punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a maximum fine of $100. The man arrested is not affiliated with the university, MSU Police and Public Safety spokeswoman Dana Whyte said.
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The protest was organized by Climate Defiance, a group member told local outlet 6 News. It is unclear whether the person arrested and charged is a member of that group.
Four or five protesters were removed by law enforcement, while one protester was physically carried out by officers. 6 News reporter Josh Sanchez said the protesters had a banner they were attempting to unravel but were unsuccessful in doing so.
"Approximately eight people were asked to leave," Whyte told the outlet.
Buttigieg was visiting Michigan to highlight President Joe Biden's infrastructure investments. He attended Michigan State’s Public Service Forum at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing on Wednesday night when several protesters allegedly rushed the stage. Several dozen protesters were also seen picketing outside of the Kellogg Hotel on the pathway to a parking garage.
The forum was intended to “provide generations of students, faculty and the MSU community with the opportunity to see, hear, and learn from national and international leaders, diplomats and writers," per the forum's website.
Climate Defiance posted on X an hour before Buttigieg's speech that they would "shut down U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg."
"We will make him flee. We will make him scamper. We will make him QUAKE," the group wrote. "We will do not what is kind but what is necessary. We will do so in Lansing. We will do so tonight. Buckle up.”
We will shut down U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. We will make him flee. We will make him scamper. We will make him QUAKE. We will do not what is kind but what is necessary. We will do so in Lansing. We will do so tonight. Buckle up. pic.twitter.com/HtOkRMDP59
— Climate Defiance (@ClimateDefiance) November 29, 2023
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This is not the first time Buttigieg has been met with opposition from Climate Defiance. At a conference in October, Climate Defiance members went onstage with signs to protest a petrochemical project in Texas, according to the Hill. One of their chants was, "Stop Petro Pete."
When confronted last month, Buttigieg said he “[respected] where you’re coming from” to the protesters before being cut off and leaving with his security team.