Protesters hoist banner near the White House

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

The morning after President Donald Trump issued orders to delay environmental rules and restart pipeline projects, seven Greenpeace protesters climbed a 270-foot tall construction crane blocks from the White House and unfurled a massive orange and yellow banner with the word, “Resist.”

The banner encouraging opposition to Trump’s agenda was clearly visible from the grounds of the White House for several hours on Wednesday, and from some angles it appeared to hover over the building. Protesters hoped it would get under his skin.

“There’s nothing that irritates him more than to know he’s not popular and we don’t like him,” one of the protesters, Karen Topakian, told the Associated Press in an interview conducted via FaceTime from high up on the crane.

District of Columbia police took a hands-off approach while the protesters suspended themselves from harnesses and ropes below the crane’s huge arm. Police closed three city blocks to traffic and appeared content to wait until they climbed down to be arrested.

The protesters scaled the crane before dawn at a sprawling construction site that was previously home to The Washington Post. They revealed the banner after 9 a.m. and remained atop the crane into the afternoon before beginning a slow descent.

John Evans, 46, a carpenter who works on the site, said the protesters were clearly experienced climbers, noting that they were moving their legs and shifting positions to maintain their blood circulation.