‘Right now people are already dying and being killed by Australia’s actions, perpetuating the climate crisis,’ said Blockade Australia activist Hannah as she hung from the stacker-reclaimer at Newcastle’s coal port this morning.
Blockade Australia activists Zianna and Hannah climbed to the top of machinery and suspended themselves out of reach, causing the operations at the Newcastle coal port to stop for the fourth time in 24 hours.
An emergency safety button was pressed that disabled the world’s largest coal port from around 6am. The pair then hung on ropes from a massive piece of coal loading equipment, a stacker-reclaimer. They closed port operations for over three hours.
‘Last year I thought I was going to die by a fire caused by climate change, and that’s just a glimpse at what’s going to happen,’ said Hannah.
‘We are facing the failure of crops; the annihilation of our habitat; ecological collapse. It is already happening. The tipping points are already being passed.’
Hannah, 21, livestreamed from 30 metres in the air, taking photos and videos while a police helicopter circled.
Blockade Australia say that police have created a “Strike Force” and have had extra police, police dogs and had helicopters circling for days.
’It is now our duty to defend the biosphere that gives us life and to every person that Australia has forgotten and ignored,’ said Zianna.
‘This is me choosing to not give away my political agency to a symbolic demonstration every four years. Just like climate and ecological collapse, political turning points are human induced. They depend on us,’ she said.
‘Blockade Australia is calling for a mass resistance to climate inaction next year starting 27 June where they will continue disruption in Sydney.’
Deeply moved by the passion, commitment & courage of these remarkable young people.
Heartfelt thanks to everyone of them. They are our heros & I’m so grateful for what they do to try to bring some sanity & clarity to what is happening…
It’s disgraceful that the NSW police are threatening to make climate martyrs out of these courageous activists with sentences of up to 25 years. To those who say that protest must be law-abiding I ask what has that achieved and what is it likely to achieve in the future? How does the general need to be law-abiding, which I support, match up to the threat of planetary destruction?
Drastic action needs to be taken against fossil fuel industries, it needs brave people working together to bring that about within an urgent time frame.
A couple of confused idiots endangering themselves and those who had to bring them down.
Coal is Australia’s second biggest export earner . It pays our bills.
Activist who deny coal for developing nations to generate power are just mollycoddled elitists.
Maybe they should get jobs and wake up to themselves.
A wasted allocation of rescue and policing services that could be better utilized in life threatening/preventive situations. On the other side of the coin social media exposure that can translate to $’s for each individual. What an ignorant view these people have of the wider world. I suggest these type of protesters take their message to the Brazilian rainforest and China (CCP).
Ive just donated to BLOCKADE AUSTRALIA – Im not brave enough to lock myself to railway tracks. If you want to know why, read the Guardian article written byHuman Rights lawyer Isabelle Reinecke. She wrote:
“There is an ongoing effort to restrict what is considered “legitimate” protest to that which is least effective. Prime minister Scott Morrison was quick to condemn the unjust treatment of protesters in Hong Kong, but at home, the Coalition has waged its own war on those campaigning for Indigenous rights, climate justice and animal welfare.”
“Protests are by their very nature disruptive, unwieldy things – they are, after all, often about the powerless raising their collective voices to challenge the powerful. The right to protest goes beyond the right to assemble peacefully, and incorporates strikes, boycotts, occupations, blockades and many other non-violent tactics as befits the cause in question.”