Paul Bibby
A local Extinction Rebellion activist is taking the fight for action on climate change to court by challenging a charge she received during August’s ‘Rebellion Day’ protests in Brisbane.
Byron Shire resident, Nada Loiterton, will appear for hearing in Brisbane’s Magistrate’s Court on Thursday after pleading not guilty to a charge of contravening a police direction.
Ms Loiterton and her legal team will argue that her actions during the protest were absolutely necessary given the current climate emergency being faced by the planet.
‘I felt that there was no choice but to protest in the way that I did, to obstruct the usual way of doing things, because of the catastrophe that we are in the middle of right now,’ she said.
‘You only have to look around NSW to see the affect that climate change is having. This is only the beginning and it will get much worse if we don’t take action right now.
Ms Loiterton said that if she was found guilty during her hearing on Thursday she would continue the legal battle by lodging an appeal.
‘I will continue to fight for as long as it takes to wake people up to what is going on so that they demand change,’ she said.
‘I have been protesting since I was in my 20s and I have been to so many protests where we marched politely along the footpath. The fact is that the government just doesn’t listen to that – they have ignored it for decades and they will keep ignoring it.
‘We have to do something different.’
Assisting Ms Loiterton in her legal battle is the former Qld Attorney General Dean Wells, who is assisting on her legal team.
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