US Open protests: NYPD cops used ACETONE to unglue man’s feet from the ground after Extinction Rebellion trio wreaked havoc and stopped Coco Gauff’s semifinal for almost an hour
- US Open semifinal was stopped for over 50 minutes by fossil fuel protestors
- DailyMail.com can reveal acetone – or nail polish remover – was used by cops
- Arrested protestors named as Sayak Mukhopadhyay, 50, and Gregory Schwedock, 35, both of New York
NYPD cops raced to the stands of the US Open with acetone to unglue a protestor’s feet from the ground during Coco Gauff’s semifinal, DailyMail.com can reveal.
Play on Arthur Ashe was stopped for close to an hour on Thursday night after three Extinction Rebellion protestors stood and started shouting at the start of the second set.
While two were removed within 20 minutes by security and police, one – named by cops as 50-year-old Sayak Mukhopadhyay of White Plains, New York – remained in his seat after gluing his feet to the ground, forcing Gauff and her opponent Karolina Muchova to exit the court.
DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal that cops used acetone – more commonly known as nail polish remover – to remedy the situation, enabling them to safely remove Mukhopadhyay, but not before he screamed at supporters on the way out.
The second male arrested and charged by police was named as Gregory Schwedock, 35, of Manhattan, while the third protestor – a female – was not arrested at the scene.
US Open protestor Sayak Mukhopadhyay glued his feet to the floor of Arthur Ashe Stadium
The man was removed from the concrete with acetone after cops determined it would be safe
The drama on Arthur Ashe began shortly after 8pm, at the beginning of the second set of Gauff’s eventual win over her Czech opponent.
Three climate thugs stood up in the mid-level of the stadium and howled ‘End fossil fuels’, while the man on the right of the group had glued his feet to the ground.
Spectators eventually had the last laugh as the demonstrators – whose group hails from the UK and has repeatedly frustrated events in the name of global warming – were thrown out of the stadium surrounded by chants of ‘You suck!’ and ‘F*** you!’
The ESPN broadcast cut away from the event as the two men and one woman made a stance against the usage of fossil fuels. The three were wearing shirts emblazoned with ‘end fossil fuels’ and the Extinction Rebellion logo.
The disruption came just days after another attendee was thrown out of the stadium after a fan allegedly shouted a Nazi phrase from the crowd.
The protestor glued his feet to the concrete inside Arthur Ashe Stadium late on Thursday night
Three protestors were responsible for an extraordinary delay during the U.S. Open semifinal
According to AP, one of the protesters said they wanted the U.S. Open to be accountable because it has sponsors who are large corporations whose policies are contributing to global warming.
‘We are not trying to harm the athletes in any way. We have nothing against the sport, but we are really trying to draw attention to an issue here that there will be no tennis left for anybody in the world to enjoy,’ he said.
Gauff was clearly frustrated by the delay and did not want to go off, initially asking why they were ‘negotiating’ with the protesters and sarcastically asking if it was a ‘hostage situation’.
Her coach, Brad Gilbert, shouted down to the Tournament Referee ‘this is a joke!’, however it then became clear that the situation was more complicated when the protestor chose glue instead of shoes as his preferred footwear.
Gauff eventually went on to win the match, but was frustrated at the length of the delay
Many in the crowd were angry the glued-down protestor was not removed more quickly
Boos rang out across the stadium as many fans were confused why it took almost an hour to remove the demonstrators, leading to a bulletin on the indoor screens asking for ‘patience.’
The polarizing trio are part of the disruptive Extinction Rebellion Group, which has sparked fury on numerous occasions in recent years as members glue themselves to famous paintings and climbing on structures.
The aim of the politically-charged entity is to cause civil disobedience as a means of spotlighting issues relating to supposed environmental degradation.
Its maddening reappearance this week comes after the group appeared to swear off public disruption in December, feeling that ruining people’s days was not bringing supporters to their cause.