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(CNN) -- Members of Greenpeace hung a banner on South Dakota's Mount Rushmore on Wednesday to protest global warming andcalled on world leaders at the G-8 summit in Italy to make the issue more of a priority.
"America honors leaders not politicians: stop global warming," reads the 2,275-square-foot sign.
Marty J. Jackley, U.S. attorney for the District of South Dakota, told CNN that about a dozen people were arrested at the national memorial site.
He would not say whether anyone would be charged or discuss what those charges might be.
"First, we want to make sure everyone is safely removed," Jackley said. "We're still assessing what happened."
Some of the demonstrators breached a controlled area and got to the top of the monument, Mount Rushmore spokeswoman Patty Rooney told CNN.
Greenpeace, a nonprofit organization that supports environmentalcauses, said the sign "is part of a global day of action ... to urge world leaders ... to take the actions necessary to avert runaway climatechange."
"We are at a key moment in history when we must challenge our president to take real leadership," said Carroll Muffet, deputy campaign directorfor Greenpeace.
"The steps taken so far have been frankly inadequate. If President Obama wants to take his place among the great leaders of history, he must takeaggressive measures to combat climate change and prioritize a strong deal in Copenhagen," Muffet said in a statement.
"We're here at Mount Rushmore to inspire Americans to take action, and remind theworld that heroism and leadership are part of our nation's history -- and must be a part of our future," Muffet said.
The G-8 meeting, which includes leaders from the world's most industrializednations, is taking place in L'Aquila, Italy.
Rooney said the monument will be assessed for any structural damage, and the banner will be removed as soon as it can be done safely. She said a securitysysterm alerted park staff to the protest at midday.
Greenpeace acknowledged the protest is illegal and dangerous, but said it does not believe the sign will damage the solid granite structure.
The MountRushmore National Memorial features a carving of former U.S. presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Nearly 3million people visit the site every year.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/08/south.dakota.protest/index.html
