On the run: Jane Fonda flees from fifth protest arrest

Actress/activist Jane Fonda played pied piper once again Friday for the weekly climate change protests known as Fire Drill Fridays. This week was a little bit different, though, as Fonda chose to flee Capitol Police before the regular arrests were made.

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The 81-year-old Fonda and her merry mob of malcontents began their protest march at the U.S. Capitol building and stopped at the gates of the White House. The normal routine before this week has been for Jane and her pals to march and stop at the steps of Capitol Hill where Capitol Police arrest them. This is how they get weekly publicity. So, this week’s route was different than the first four marches.

Fonda invites different celebrity pals each week to join in the fun. This week’s special guests were Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, co-founders of Ben and Jerry ice cream company. Jane Fonda left the march early in order to avoid arrest. Our brave and super committed hero wimped out because she doesn’t want to serve jail time. An arrest on Friday could have resulted in jail time lasting for weeks. She hugged Ben and Jerry as she left.

Last week Fonda spent 20 hours behind bars after her arrest. There were cockroaches in her cell and she had to use her now familiar red coat as a mattress to sleep. As it turns out, she is only willing to be behind bars if it is convenient to her working schedule. She told a reporter earlier in the week that she isn’t going to get arrested every week because that will result in a longer time in jail. She has an upcoming acting gig to prepare for, you know.

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After the third arrest, they gave me a court date in November. And because I was arrested again before my court date, that’s when they said, “Well, you’re going to have to spend the night in jail.” I have to be careful not to get to a point where they’re going to keep me for 90 days because I have to begin preparing for Grace & Frankie in January. So I’m not going to get arrested every time. They give you three warnings and so I will step away at the third warning.

This week, her crowd of protesters grew to the biggest size yet. Fonda and her marchers were joined by another group of marching protesters there to protest President Trump. The Trump protesters joined in with the climate alarmists. Fonda’s red coat makes her instantly recognizable, as she planned when she purchased it.

The rest of the protesters stayed after Fonda’s early departure, including Ben and Jerry. No arrests were made this week. No big speeches were delivered on the steps of Capitol Hill which results in the arrests. In past weeks, Fonda has been charged with incommoding. The crowd that gathers around the speakers creates an inconvenience for others.

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Each week has a theme, though usually, the theme isn’t a part of the story. This week’s theme was apparently anti-military and that is why Ben and Jerry were there. Hanoi Jane strikes again.

They for decades have been very anti-military. They’ve focused on cutting Pentagon budgets and ending wars. And so they wanted to come down to speak at the Fire Drill Friday focusing on military, war and climate change.

She says she sends out invitations to her celebrity friends and sometimes they respond, sometimes they don’t.

I ask my celebrity friends. Like last week, Catherine Keener and Rosanna Arquette were there. Ted Danson has long been an activist and advocate on oceans, and so I specifically invited him to come for oceans. Bobby Kennedy Jr. I was hoping could come for water because he started River Keepers. Next week it’s environmental justice and the two actresses who play my daughters on Grace and Frankie [June Diane Raphael and Brooklyn Decker] are coming down as well as our showrunners Marta Kauffman and Howard Morris and the entire writers room. They’re all coming down.

My daughters [Vanessa Vadim and Mary Williams] will probably say a few words and introduce other speakers who have expertise in environmental justice. Lily Tomlin will be coming down, but I don’t know exactly when. [Civil rights leaders] Rev. William Barber, Dolores Huerta and others are coming down for my birthday on Dec. 20. Diane Lane is coming down for the fresh water one. Taylor Schilling and Kyra Sedgwick are coming down. I’m still waiting to hear from Don Cheadle and Mark Ruffalo.

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I’ll end this week’s write-up of Jane’s adventures on Capitol Hill with this quote. If nothing else it shows just how difficult self-awareness is for those in a liberal bubble.

You know, when I decided to come to D.C. I met with representatives of all the major climate organizations, especially the students, because I didn’t want to be some privileged white movie star bopping into D.C. and doing an action, you know? “Oh everybody, look at me!”

Her temporary residence in Washington, D.C. is all about “Look at me!”. Bless her heart.

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