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Byron Shire
March 29, 2024

Second day of protests at 5G site – Suffolk Park

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Wdo Miles blocking the park of workers at Suffolk Park. Photo Rinat Strahlhofer.

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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9 COMMENTS

  1. Just a quick word, when we stopped logging in the Nightcap, when we stopped coal seam gas, we did it for our community we did it for our children. I think it was the best outcome for us all. We now stand now again for our community and for future generations. 5G has been halted in Switzerland because of health concerns. We ask for safety we ask for the health of all.

    • They are not comparable, opposition to logging and coal seam gas were based on science and real harms. Opposition to 5G is based on completely imaginary harms. It’s also highly misleading to say 5G has been halted in Switzerland, there are temporary moratoriums in a few cantons but otherwise the 5G roll-out is proceeding to plan.
      Given the real and severe environmental harms (with huge health consequences) happening to our world the anti-5G campaign is an absurd waste of time and effort that also brings a small modicum of discredit to the environmental movement as a whole. In other words, it’s wholly regressive.

    • https://www.health.govt.nz/your-health/healthy-living/environmental-health/radiation-environment/cellsites-and-5g/5g-questions-and-answers

      Have some countries banned 5G because of health concerns?
      The Ministry does not know of any countries that have banned 5G because of health concerns. While it has been claimed that Switzerland, Japan and the city of Brussels have banned 5G, Switzerland already has commercial 5G services covering much of the country, Japan also has 5G and Brussels has an agreement with operators to deploy it. This agreement includes relaxation of Brussels’ current strict exposure limits. The European Union 5G Observatory maintains reliable, up-to-date information on the deployment of 5G in the European Union and many other places.

  2. Stopping rainforest logging and coal seam gas exploration was sensible, but protesting 5G rollout is nuts. Swiss “ban” is fake news

  3. Arrest them all and lock them all up.
    Bunch of annoying hypocritical hippies wasting people’s time and putting the community at risk during this pandemic.

  4. Telstra can’t and won’t provide any evidence .
    I am affected by the knockrow tower after living in close proximity for over 10 years , I now suffer from seizers and have been personally told by the tower workers they have meters they wear and if the alarm goes off they are to clear out away from the site until the alarms stop I can’t drive because of the seizers and in turn I cannot work .
    Congratulations on your lies Telstra

  5. In the ‘lockdown’ over Easterthe word is that on Easter Sunday Telstra snuck in 5G at the main town tower next to the Post office , The equipment on the tower certainly changed on that day, very convenient timing for Telstra.

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