‘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.’
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
