Former midwife fined over climate action protest stunt

QLD police say they arrested four protestors for their actions in a protest stunt on the city’s Victoria Bridge Monday morning.

They say a 22-year-old woman attached herself to a large tripod around 7.45am and for some time, refused to get down.

The bridge was reportedly closed for about an hour in peak hour.

A press release from the South East Queensland arm of international climate change activist group Extinction Rebellion (XR) later revealed the woman as Brisbane midwife Sophie Thompson but ABC reporters later found out Ms Thompson had resigned from work to focus on activism full time.

Ms Thompson said Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg and millions of other students who have protested regularly around the world inspired her statement.

The midwife said the climate emergency is already killing children and XR SEQ shared a video of her explaining her concerns on its Facebook page.

Once police began dismantling the tripod, Ms Thompson let herself down and was promptly arrested.

She had three charges against her related to blocking traffic, being a public nuisance and obstructing a police officer but an XR spokesman said police later dropped the public nuisance charge.

Ms Thompson appeared in court hours later where she pled guilty to the remaining two charges but refused the option of a so-called good behaviour bond.

Instead, Ms Thompson has received around $700 in fines.

Police also charged a 28-year-old Brisbane man, a 20-year-old NSW man and a 22-year-old NSW woman over their parts in the protest.

The Brisbane-based activist was due to face Brisbane Magistrates Court on 16 October while the New South Welsh activists were due in the same court on 21 October.

This article has been updated. The original version described Ms Thompson as a midwife but she is a former midwife now focused full-time on climate change activism.