Citi NYC headquarters blocked by climate protesters; police arrest over 20 people

Police made several arrests outside Citigroup’s headquarters in New York City on Thursday morning after demonstrators blocked entrances to the building during a climate protest.

Activist groups including New York Communities for Change and Stop the Money Pipeline took part in the protest over the bank's financial backing of oil, gas and coal industries, and said last week in an advisory that there would be "civil disobedience" outside Citi's Manhattan headquarters.

People wearing hazmat suits were seen being detained by police, who were eventually able to clear a path for employees to enter the building.

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The New York Police Department told FOX Business roughly 150 people were in attendance at the demonstration, and 24 individuals were arrested and taken into custody. 

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
C	CITIGROUP INC.	70.16	+0.42	+0.60%

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"While we respect the right to protest, activists do not have the right to prevent people from entering our building or customers from entering our branch," a Citi spokesperson said in a statement. "The activists were given the opportunity to protest peacefully but they chose to continue to prevent people from coming to work."

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"The NYPD responded and restored access to our building for our employees and clients," the spokesperson added.

FOX Business' Justin Freiman contributed to this report