Watch: Martin Sheen quotes Rabindranath Tagore's 'Where The Mind Is Without Fear' in speech at climate change protest

Martin Sheen, at the weekly climate change Fire Drill Fridays, an initiative by Jane Fonda that addresses climate emergency, quoted Rabindranath Tagore's poem 'Where The Mind is Without Fear' in his speech. The video has now gone viral on social media.

Sheen took the stage from Fonda and then began with lauding her efforts, which was met with applause, "This woman has been my hero, nearly all my adult life."

"Clearly, the world will be saved by women. Thank God they outnumber us men. We are called to find something in our lives worth fighting for. Something that unites the will of the spirit with the work of the flesh. Something that can help us lift up this nation and all its people where the heart is without fear and the head is held high, where knowledge is free," he said.

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Here is the video

Hindustan Times notes that Sheen, who played President Bartlett on West Wing, has previously recited Tagore's poem in a video encouraging Americans to vote. The poem, originally known as 'Chitto Jetha Bhoyshunno' in Bengali was written by Tagore in 1910, much before India gained independence from the British.

The Fire Drill Fridays protest in Washington DC saw the arrests of Fonda and Joker actor Joaquin Phoenix. The actor, who won the Golden Globe for his performance in Joker, even gave an impassioned speech on the effects of meat and dairy industries on the global phenomenon of climate change. Maggie Gyllenhaal and Susan Sarandon were also present.

The US Capitol Police declared a total of 147 arrests of protesters for unlawful demonstration. According to CNN, they were charged with "crowding, obstructing or incommoding." All the protesters were later released.

This was the 14th week of the weekly protests, which has seen solidarity from many Hollywood celebrities.