A pair of climate activists disrupted the finale of Sweden’s celebrity dance show last Friday and a quick-thinking crewmember used a crane-operated camera to knock them down, the Washington Times reported.
The incident occurred in front of a studio audience during the filming of Sweden’s “Strictly Come Dancing” show and was captured on video by a member of the audience.
The activists, who were with the group Restore Wetlands, were seated in the audience when they left their seats and stormed the stage with banners. They also attempted to release powder onto the stage where two dancers were performing in the competition.
The video, which went viral on social media, shows the robotic crane camera spearing one activist who was attempting to hold up a banner. The camera knocked the activist to the floor while the second activist ducked for cover. Security then stepped in and ushered the activists out of the studio.
According to the New York Post, the performers whose dance was disrupted were 3-time Olympic gold medalist Charlotte Kalla and her “Strictly Come Dancing” partner Tobias Karlsson. Both Kalla and Karlsson continued their performance unfazed by the melee caused by the activists, earning them an enthusiastic round of applause from the studio audience.
The Olympic cross-country skier ended the finale as the runner-up in the competition, with first place going to YouTube celebrity Hampus Hedstrom.
According to the Washington Times, one of the climate activists was identified as Tina Kronberg Berggren, 30. Berggren has previously participated in protests with the climate change group Extinction Rebellion.
In a statement after Friday’s incident, Berggren said climate change is “so urgent” that she could not “sit in the audience” watching a dance show while “our lives are threatened by climate collapse.”
This isn’t the first time climate activists have disrupted live performances.
While performing her song “Tattoo” during the Melodifestivalen earlier this year, Eurovision champion Loreen was interrupted as climate activists stormed the stage, forcing the Swedish singer to perform her song again.
