Conor Kennedy Arrested Protesting At The White House

Conor Kennedy, 18, the ex-boyfriend of pop superstar Taylor Swift, 23, and son of environmental activist Robert Kennedy, Jr., 59, was arrested at a rally outside The White House in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.

In a group that also included his father and actress Daryl Hannah, 52, Conor cuffed himself to the gates of The White House with several others in protest of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. The Sierra Club organized the protest event, which marks the first time the organization has authorized an act of civil disobdience by its members.

The controversial pipeline would serve to ferry oil from Alberta, Canada, to the Gulf Coast of Texas. While many argue that the construction will create jobs and reduce the United State's dependence on foreign oil, others claim the environmental risk is too great. “It’s awfully difficult to reconcile a concerted attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with the massive development of the dirtiest oil on the planet,” the Sierra Club's Michael Brune told The New York Times in reference to President Obama's State of the Union on Tuesday.

Four dozen protesters were charged with failure to disperse and obey lawful orders. All were released on $100 bond separately. While this may be the younger Kennedy’s first protest of the Keystone pipeline, this arrest marks Hannah’s third for the cause.