During the final round of the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut, the serene atmosphere of professional golf was shattered by a group of climate change protesters. These activists, now identified as the Travelers Championship Protesters, stormed the 18th green, deploying smoke bombs and halting play in a dramatic demonstration against climate inaction. The incident, which unfolded on Sunday, June 23, led to the arrest of six individuals who now face charges including criminal mischief, trespassing, and breach of peace. Their first court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, July 2nd.
Among the arrested was Shayok Mukhopadhyay, an artist and vocal advocate for environmental awareness. Mukhopadhyay and his fellow travelers championship protesters wore T-shirts emblazoned with the stark message: “No golf on a dead planet.” Speaking after the event, Mukhopadhyay, a resident of White Plains, New York, articulated the group’s intention to deliver a powerful message to tournament attendees and the wider public.
“Nothing that we take for granted today will remain, in this climate catastrophe that is surrounding us as we speak,” Mukhopadhyay stated. “Golf is one of those things. There will be no golf on a dead planet. It will not exist.” His words underscored the urgency and severity of the climate crisis, framing the disruption as a necessary alarm bell in the face of global environmental threats.
The majority of the travelers championship protesters belong to the environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion, known for their disruptive but non-violent protests aimed at raising awareness about climate change. Mukhopadhyay explained that the Travelers Championship was chosen as a target due to its proximity to New York, the presence of high-profile golfers, and the guaranteed media attention such a prestigious sporting event attracts.
“We were there to give people this message that this lovely day you are having with your friends and family at this tournament, you will not have that anymore,” Mukhopadhyay explained. “It’s dead serious. We mean it quite literally, that everything you take for granted in your daily life will cease to exist.” The protesters aimed to disrupt the normalcy of the event to highlight the looming crisis threatening everyday life as we know it.
While some golf fans reacted with boos and disapproval as the travelers championship protesters caused delays, the activists remained steadfast in their purpose. The protest occurred against the backdrop of a prolonged heat wave affecting Connecticut, ironically underscoring the climate concerns the demonstrators were highlighting.
This act of disruption is not isolated for Mukhopadhyay. He has a history of using sports events as a platform to voice his climate concerns. Last year, he was arrested at the U.S. Open Tennis Championships in Queens, New York, after disrupting a match with a climate protest, causing nearly an hour-long delay. This prior incident demonstrates Mukhopadhyay’s consistent commitment to raising climate awareness through direct action, even at the cost of personal risk and arrest.
“I don’t want all of this huge amount of suffering to go on. So that’s why the climate crisis is so important, and I’m willing to risk my physical well-being and my freedom to talk about it,” he emphasized, highlighting the personal sacrifices he is willing to make to bring attention to the climate emergency.
Mukhopadhyay’s global perspective on climate change is deeply rooted in his personal experiences. Growing up in India, he witnessed firsthand the escalating impacts of climate change. He notes that while his family in India maintains a lower consumption lifestyle compared to the average person in the Western world, they are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis.
“My parents still consume much less than the average person in the western industrialized world,” Mukhopadhyay said. “Yet, the people back there are paying such a high price for the climate crisis.” He points to increasingly frequent and severe heat waves in India, leading to tragic consequences, even for those in public service. “Now you have policemen coming home from their day’s work, lying down and never getting up in India. I really think about that.” This global perspective fuels his urgency to act and raise awareness in his adopted country, the United States.
The immediate reaction on the green was one of fear and confusion. Golfer Akshay Bhatia, ranked among the top players in the world, admitted to being genuinely frightened when the travelers championship protesters emerged. “I was scared for my life,” Bhatia told reporters. “I didn’t even really know what was happening … But thankfully the cops were there and kept us safe, because that’s, you know, that’s just weird stuff.” His reaction underscores the unexpected and potentially alarming nature of such protests, even within the controlled environment of a professional sporting event.
Mukhopadhyay acknowledged his own fear in carrying out the protest, highlighting the inherent risks involved in confronting heavily armed police. “I was really scared because there were so many policemen,” Mukhopadhyay said. “They are heavily armed. I mean they have things that can kill. This is not easy to do. We are just regular people. You don’t practice for this. There is no practice. You just have to do it in the moment.”
Despite the disruption and fear caused, Mukhopadhyay drew a parallel between the protest and a fire alarm, arguing for its necessity. “A fire alarm is frightening too, right? A fire alarm is annoying too. But a fire alarm is necessary for safety,” Mukhopadhyay reasoned. “We are the fire alarm of the climate crisis. Yes, a fire alarm is like ear-piercing and nauseating and frightening. But you need a fire alarm.” This analogy encapsulates the protesters’ rationale: to jolt people out of complacency and force attention onto the urgent need for climate action, even if it means disrupting normal routines and causing temporary discomfort or fear.
The protest at the Travelers Championship serves as a stark reminder of the escalating tensions surrounding climate change and the increasingly diverse tactics employed by activists to demand action. While reactions to such disruptions are varied, the message from the travelers championship protesters is clear: the climate crisis demands immediate and urgent attention, even if it means interrupting moments of leisure and entertainment.
