UPDATE: 13.07.2021 – 11.40am
Protesters say that four people have been arrested so far this morning, including Ella Noah Bancroft and Jarmbi Githabul.
On the second day of protests, community members are keeping vigil at Suffolk Park at the mobile phone base station site on Bottlebrush Crescent. The group say they plan to stay until Telstra can prove there is no risk from the 5G rollout across the Byron Shire.
Telstra technicians and police are at the site this morning.
Northern Rivers for Safe Technology spokesperson Rinat Strahlhofer said the group are demanding that Telstra shows us conclusive studies that prove 5G millimetre waves, infrastructure and phones are safe for the community and our children.
‘We have been asking Telstra for two years for proof of safety regarding the 5G millimetre wave rollout. To date, there has been very limited responses to our questions.
Request that Telstra immediately halts plans to upgrade
‘We respectfully request that Telstra immediately halts its plans to upgrade the Bottlebrush Crescent site to 5G, along with all other 5G installations in the Byron Shire, until the health and environmental effects of 5G have been independently scientifically researched.’
Ms Strahlhofer said that yesterday 100 peaceful protesters kept vigil at the site. ‘There was a strong police presence of approximately 20 officers. A man was arrested after being locked-on for five hours to a “sleeping dragon” device – a car with no wheels, that had been anchored into the ground with cement.
‘Police and rescue services took three hours to cut the man from the vehicle and he was taken to hospital and later to the Lismore Police Station.
Seven protesters were arrested and later released on the condition they could not go within 100m of a phone tower for a specified period of time. Currently there is still one protester in custody.
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