Greenpeace in Arctic Protest on Jerusalem Bridge of Strings
Five Greenpeace activists on Thursday chained themselves to Jerusalem's soaring Bridge of Strings demanding that U.S. President Barack Obama halt exploratory drilling in the Arctic, an Agence France Presse correspondent said.
Wearing white overalls and yellow helmets, the five used climbing gear to inch up the metal cables which spans a busy intersection at the entrance to the city.
"Obama: Stop the drilling in the Arctic" read a sign in Hebrew unfurled by the protestors climbing the structure, which at 119 meters (390 foot), dominates the Jerusalem skyline.
The protest came a day after Obama began his first official visit to Israel since first being elected president more than four years ago.
Designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the bridge has 66 'strings' which are connected to a single towering cantilevered mast in a design resembling the harp of the biblical King David.
It is located at the city's western entrance over the main road leading out to Tel Aviv.
There are 5,000 police on duty in Jerusalem every day of the presidential visit, but the officers appeared unable to halt the high-profile stunt, the AFP correspondent said.
Last year, the environmental group launched a Save The Arctic campaign to preserve the land mass from oil exploration and industrial fishing.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Arctic is believed to hold 13 percent of the planet's undiscovered oil reserves and 30 percent of its undiscovered natural gas.
Source: Agence France Presse
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