Greenpeace activists ‘defaced’ Mount Rushmore yesterday by hanging a giant protest banner next to the face of Abraham Lincoln. The banner, featuring President Obama’s face, read “America Honors Leaders, Not Politicians. Stop Global Warming.

Three Greenpeace members scaled the South Dakota monument at about noon yesterday, using existing anchors used only for park service maintenance. Less than two hours later the three climbers plus eight other Greenpeace activists at the site were taken into custody by park authorities. Greenpeace spokesman Michael Crocker says the climbers were careful not to damage the monument.

The high profile activist group’s demand for more aggressive action against climate change stems from frustrations over inaction by US policy makers and was aimed directly at Obama as a challenge to make climate change a bigger priority.

Yesterday’s protest action followed hot on the heels of a Greenpeace hijacking of an Italian coal power station earlier in the day, presumably to grab the attention of G8 leaders gathered in the Italian city of L’Aquila.