It is rumoured that local Northern Rivers activists were involved in the latest Rising Tide action in Newcastle, once again having a close call with police.
A line of kayaks blockaded the port at about 8am on Sunday which led port authorities to halt the arrival of two inbound coal ships.
‘There was a standoff, with tug boats intimidating the kayakers and trying to break the line of kayaks but the line held,’ said one of the local activists who was in the line but asked not to be identified.
Biggest coal mine in NSW history
This action was timed around planning approval being sought for Hunter Valley Operations (HVO) coal mine. ‘It’s not a new coal mine but a huge expansion near an existing mine,’ said a Rising Tide spokesperson.
‘The expansion alone would be the largest coal project in NSW history at a time when climate impacts are becoming more severe, and the rest of the world is moving away from coal.
‘The Minns Labor government’s own Net Zero Commission has said that there can be no new coal if it is to meet its legislated emissions targets, so they can’t seriously be considering this expansion.’
Rising Tide say they are planning to escalate small and large actions in response to the proposed expansion of the HVO coal mine.
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