Nine climate change activists were arrested on Saturday. The activists were part of a group called Extinction Rebellion. The protesters formed an hourglass logo surrounded by a circle - the logo of the group.
According to its internal site, the protest was part of what the group called a "national day of civil disobedience and non-violent protest".
The nine arrested protesters were taken to the police department for treatment, but no charges were laid.
"It was one of the actions we had planned, the Rebellion of Extinction, and it was intended to create a very striking visual, drawing attention to the urgency of the issue, namely that reducing the changes Climate change poses an immediate and existential problem, a threat to life on earth, "organizer Rory Varrato told WABC.
Despite the protest and NYPD officers discussing the event, dozens of skaters continued to use the rink.
The Twitter page of Extinction Rebellion has criticized the arrests "while the corporatocracy aided and abetted by the MSM [traditional media] is committing an ecocide."
The protesters want the government to recognize the truth about the climate, enact laws to reduce carbon emissions by 2025 and institute a citizens' assembly to monitor the changes, according to their site.
President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement in June 2017, the agreement signed by 147 countries in April 2016, which included a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
