Crawberry Hill anti-fracking camp was evicted yesterday (21/1/15), with 3 arrests.
It had been up and running for 8 months, including an occupation of the fracking pad itself in in early August of last year.
For more info:
19 January 2015
Kenyan police have fired tear gas at pupils of a big school in Nairobi who were protesting about the sale of their playground to a private developer.
The pupils had returned to the Lang'ata school after a two-week teachers strike to find the play area fenced off.
19 January 2015
Kenyan police have fired tear gas at pupils of a big school in Nairobi who were protesting about the sale of their playground to a private developer.
The pupils had returned to the Lang'ata school after a two-week teachers strike to find the play area fenced off.
The school has about 1,000 children between the ages of three and 14 and is run by Nairobi city council.
Several children were hurt in the police action to disperse the protest and have been taken to hospital.
Some of them had confronted riot police, waving sticks at them.
At least one police officer was injured when he was struck by a stone thrown by a protester.
The demonstrators also included teachers at the school and political activists.
It was not immediately clear how the developer came to take possession of the land, which lies less than five kilometres west of the city centre.
The city council has said the playground is public land. It has not commented on the legal status of the apparent sale.
Critics have alleged that corrupt elements were behind a deal to turn the land over to the developer.
The children banged on the barrier to try to knock it down
Some of the pupils waved sticks at the riot police
One of the officers was hurt when he was hit by a stone thrown by a protester
Several children were taken to hospital after inhaling the tear gas
Residents block the entrance to the Naameh landfill in front of
Sukleen trucks as riot police stand guard south of Beirut,
Friday Jan. 24, 2014.
January 17th, 2015
Angry residents blocked Saturday the entrance to the controversial Naameh landfill and demanded the government shut it down, warning of more actions in the future.
Speaking to television reporters, a spokesperson for the protesters called on Environment Minister Mohammad Machnouk to resign after failing to shut down the landfill, which was originally set for closure Saturday.
“You made us a promise and failed to keep it. Like several senior statesmen, you have failed in resolving a simple problem,” he said.
Other protesters expressed frustration with the environment minister, saying “we no longer trust you after today nor do we trust your promises or empty plans.”
The spokesperson also announced that another protest will be held at the dump on Jan. 31.
Security forces beefed up measures in and around the dump in an effort to prevent any escalation.
Residents and officials are at odds concerning the closure of the Naameh dump after Progressive Socialist Party head Walid Jumblatt, whose party enjoys wide support in the area, agreed to a three month extension for the landfill.
Though the agreement calls for a three-month long technical extension, protesters fear the landfill will not be closed down for another seven years.
If the protesters decide to permanently block the entrance to the dump as they had last year, the streets of Beirut and other parts of the country could again be drowned in garbage.
The contract between the government and Sukleen, the company responsible for sweeping and cleaning the streets of Beirut and Mount Lebanon, was set to expire Saturday.
The Naameh landfill was originally opened in 1997 to serve the Beirut and Mount Lebanon region. It was intended to close after six years but remains open 17 years later. The landfill now receives 2,850 tons of waste a day, five times its intended capacity.
The Naameh landfill was originally supposed to be closed on Jan. 17 but under the new plan the deadline has been extended by three months and could be pushed back by another three if no alternative is found.
A weekend gathering for people involved or wanting to know more about ecological direct action around the UK including fighting opencast coal, fracking, GM, nuclear power, new road building and quarries with discussions and campaign planning – emphasis on the tactics and strategies, community solidarity and sustainable activism.
Sharing stories, skills, tactics, updates & analyses of the radical ecological movement
Cost scale £20 to £30 . This includes full vegan meals and accommodation. Arrive Friday evening (programme starts at 7pm), leave Sunday (ends by 4pm). It will be an indoor floor sleeping space so bring a warm sleeping bag and mat to…
Kebele Community Centre 14 Robertson Road Easton Bristol BS5 6JY
Train—To Stapleton rd , two stops from Bristol TM then 7min walk —
Earth First! is a network of people and campaigns who fight ecological destruction and the forces driving it. We believe in non-hierarchical organising of Direct Action, to confront, stop and eventually reverse the forces that are responsible for the destruction of the Earth and its inhabitants. EF! is not a cohesive group or campaign, but a convenient banner for people who share similar philosophies to work under and doing it ourselves rather than relying on governments or industry.
For info or offers southwest.earthfirst@riseup.net www.earthfirst.org.uk
Download the (ready-to-print) flyer
Programme subject to change:
Starts 7pm Friday with dinner, followed by films & an intro to EF!
On Saturday, breakfast is before the 9:30am start with campaigns round-ups and legal & security workshops. After lunch we'll be looking at strategic thinking (see below) and at 5 exploring the relationship between Reclaim the Power and EF!
On Sunday we'll continue those explorations from 10am. After lunch, there'll be a workshop on sustainable activism, and a chance to get involved in organising the EF! Summer Gathering. Please stay for that if you can and get involved.
Workshops include:
“Intelligent Resistance: strategy and its implementation in the modern world”
Summary: Strong strategy has always been a key element of successful resistance movements. Whether it be the anarchist movements of revolutionary Spain, or the contemporary fight against fracking, a solid strategy is proven to be indispensable.‘Intelligent Resistance’ is a basic introduction to strategic thought and action and looks to provide those in attendance with a practical set of theoretical tools to take away and apply to their own movements and practice.
“Sustaining Resistance: avoiding ‘Burn out”
This is a taster workshop from a much longer ten day workshop and offers a range of tools, collective and personal, which can make our activism more effective and help us avoid burn out staying in for the long haul.
Reclaim the Power meets Earth First!”
How can Earth First! and Reclaim the power coexist in the future struggles and is there a need for collaboration between other camps or a consolidation of resources?
Legal Defence Monitoring:
A taster session in how to be an effective LDM on actions and demos.
Campaigns go-round:
Dates for your diary and what resistance is going on around the world and your back yard..
January 5th, 2015
Eight protestors were arrested Monday morning at a pipeline testing site in Lancaster County, police have confirmed. The demonstrators included local residents opposing the proposed Atlantic Sunrise project and members of a Native American tribe who claim the pipeline company is improperly drilling test bores on sacred grounds in Conestoga Township.
More from Lancaster Online, which had a reporter on the scene:
Eight of the roughly three-dozen protesters were charged with trespassing after refusing to leave when PPL, the property’s owner, said they had to.
Protesters gathered near the drilling site around 9 a.m. and walked about a quarter-mile to where workers were drilling along the Conestoga River.
The workers stopped drilling about 10 minutes after the protesters arrived at the site around 9:20 a.m.
However, drilling had resumed by about 12:25 p.m., and no protesters remained.
“Everyone was peaceful,” said Chief John Fiorill with the Southern Regional Police Department. Fiorill noted it was not the first time protestors gathered on the site owned by PPL over the last two weeks, nor does he expect it will be the last.
A Williams spokesman said the company is drilling to collect soil samples that will help determine the least-invasive construction method for its proposed Atlantic Sunrise project. The interstate pipeline would send natural gas from the Marcellus Shale southward to markets on the east coast.
The project has faced fierce opposition from people in Lancaster County who have raised concerns about how it will effect the environment, public safety and property values.
“Our immediate goal is to prevent the pipeline from going in and doing what we can in a peaceful way to protect our land,” said Brenda Sieglitz, a member of the group No Lancaster Pipeline which organized Monday’s protest.
Chief Carlos Rivera of the North Arawak Tribal Nation is arrested protesting the Atlantic Sunrise pipeline in Conestoga, Pa. (courtesy of Michelle Johnsen)
Chief Carlos Rivera, a leader of the Northern Arawak Tribal Nation, was among the eight protestors arrested. According to his Facebook page, Rivera believes Williams’ drill bores are desecrating a site sacred to his tribe.
“I know there are some sensitive cultural resources out there and that’s one of the reasons we’ve been taking the steps we’ve been taking to make sure we treat those with respect,” said Williams spokesman Chris Stockton, who could not confirm whether the company is operating on a sacred Northern Arawak site.
Rivera cooperated with police officers and was released on a summary citation, Fiorill said.
However, the other seven protestors, who linked arms when officers attempted to arrest them, were charged with trespassing in the third degree and could face up to a year in jail and $250 in fines.
by
by MUĞLA / Hurriyet Daily News
January 5th, 2015
A vigil held against the privatization of the protected beach of İztuzu on the Mediterranean coast will enter its second week today, with activists mobilizing to prevent a company from building recreational facilities on the site, a major nesting ground for Caretta Caretta turtles.
Local activists were prompted to action after officials from DALÇEV, the company that won the tender to operate the beach facilities, entered the area with three construction vehicles around midnight on Dec. 29, 2014, after a court lifted a stay of execution order on the privatization process.
The incident triggered fury among local activists, who spontaneously gathered near the beach and launched their resistance. They celebrated New Year’s Eve in İztuzu and thousands of activists are now attending the vigil.
“We were three in the beginning. Then we became five. Now our number has reached 2,000 people,” said Tuğba Özge Musaoğlu, a local who was among the first to join the impromptu protest.One of the last untouched seashores along Turkey’s coasts, İztuzu is located within an archaeological site and has a special protected status that bans any construction on the site. The sandy beach is also globally known for being one of the main breeding grounds for loggerhead turtles, also known as Caretta Caretta.
But the beach’s environmental importance has not prevented the authorities’ privatization attempt, which was eventually won by DALÇEV last June, a local company that also has British partners.
“We wouldn’t even lay our towels in the areas were the turtles deposit their eggs. And then, one morning, we learned that construction machines had entered the site. This place was ours and we want it to remain like that, because it is the locals who will take care of it the best,” Musaoğlu said.
The particularly photogenic giant turtles are on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to the destruction of their habitat.
Activists have remained at the entrance of the İztuzu beach after Gendarmerie officers refused to allow activists to hold a vigil inside the protected area.
Legal trouble has ensued following the privatization, as the process was initially suspended by a court order on June 23, 2014. But the stay of execution was lifted in late September, with the Muğla Governor’s Office ordering the authorities of Ortaca district, which İztuzu is a part of, to evacuate the facilities at the beach. The privatization was then challenged by the Ortaca Municipality, with the Muğla Administrative Court ruling for a stay of execution for a second time. The same court lifted the order on Dec. 22, giving the go-ahead to the company to take over the facilities. But only three days later, a district court again ruled to suspend the execution of the privatization.
Adding fuel to the legal turmoil, the Environment Ministry on Jan. 5 confirmed that the tender land had now been taken over by the firm “in accordance with the cancellation of the stay of execution order.”
Human rights abuse
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) lawmaker Mahmut Tanal, who joined the protest at İztuzu, said any action regarding İztuzu would amount to a human rights violation. “This would seriously hurt Muğla’s tourism, economy and the right for people to live in a healthy environment. What the state has to do is protect and develop the environment,” Tanal said.
For their part, officials from DALÇEV claim they came to the site after the latest ruling lifting the stay of execution had been announced. “We should normally have taken over in June. But the facilities owned by the Ortaca Municipality were not given to us. The municipality opened several lawsuits against us,” said the company’s executive committee head, Ramazan Oruç, emphasizing that if they did not undertake any action it was due to their “respect for justice.”
He also dismissed claims that their arrival to the site near midnight was an attempt to raid the facilities.
“The governor’s office announced the court decision at 5 p.m. So we entered the facilities [at night]. We are not here to occupy. We would have entered during the morning if the decision had been announced during the morning,” Oruç said.
The recent transfer of authorities regarding privatizations to governor’s offices instead of municipalities has hurt locals as it means they have less control over decisions on such sensitive matters.
A recent hospital project for sea turtles near İztuzu also raised controversy with activists objecting to the construction of the facility within the protected area. Their action was successful in obtaining the cancelation of the project but prompted Environment Minister İdris Güllüce to accuse them of fanaticism.
Many international environmental and animal rights groups, including the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), expressed their opposition to the establishment of a hospital in İztuzu.
photo from protest in the forest atta
photo from protest in the forest attacked by police in 2011
from Earth First! News
December 29th, 2014Advocates of the impossibly corrupt and environmentally devastating high speed rail project known as TAV that threatens to cut through the Alps received a double-blow last week in the form of a major court victory for activists, and another large-scale act of arson.
This month, six fires have been set along the TAV lines in Italy, with militant groups like Armed Operational Nuclei (NOA) calling on activists to join them in armed struggle.
Image from the sabotage in Bologna five days ago
As recently as last week, three people wearing hoods set fires at Bologna’s Santa Viola station. Though private surveillance cameras caught their image, they are unidentifiable. According to the Daily Beast, the sabotage was surprisingly effective: “the Bologna fires destroyed the regional train traffic control system, which put the entire rail network in northern Italy on hold until it could be repaired.”
Since the first of December, six fires have been set along Italy’s high-speed rail, causing the fast-moving trains to screech to a halt.
In spite of accusations of terrorism and the controversy surrounding fresh sabotage, three anarchists who were jailed in relation to the blockade of machinery and throwing molotovs at cops had their terrorism charges dropped in court today.
During the action in question, the newswire service ANSA explains, “Police at the time said roughly 30 hooded militants broke into the construction site under the cover of nightfall and tore down fences and blocked machinery. In a nearby incident, several other activists confronted police with fireworks and Molotov cocktails.”
The court victory sends a message that activists fighting the TAV are not simply terrorists pretending to be environmentalists, but members of a diverse and committed movement that encompasses large sectors of the Italian populace.
Investigators are not just out to get activists, either. They are also cracking down on supporters of the TAV—chiefly mafia operatives who have infiltrated the project in order to channel contracts and permits to their syndicates.
Meanwhile, the largest mob of them all, the EU, has made infrastructure a priority, over and against resistant communities and militant groups fighting against the destruction of a simpler way of life.
from We Cop Watch
There are many ways to effectively document the movement while protecting the space, its movements and people’s privacy. Live Streaming is generally NOT one of them.
from We Cop Watch
There are many ways to effectively document the movement while protecting the space, its movements and people’s privacy. Live Streaming is generally NOT one of them.
A common issue with Streamers is their display of entitlement, often citing the value of bringing the movement to the people. But Streamers have a hard time admitting that the police find their work more valuable then demonstrators.
In a world of voyeurism and exhibitionists, Streamers often get carried away, interpreting their role as being a narrator for the movement. They often film people without their consent, placing more value in presenting to their viewership, then protecting the group that is already taking risks by just getting out into the street to protest.
One of the biggest problems with streaming is that it gives real time information to the police as far as what people are present, the group’s intentions, as well as its location and routes. Embedded Streamers give police a tactical advantage when trying to conduct mass arrests.
An even more tragic contract Streamers impose on demonstrators is the raw, unedited, archived video that is often made public and available online for law enforcement to use later to help identify and target people.
Before we move to “Streamer Solutions” lets review some “Streamer tactics” that are favorable to law enforcement, and almost always at the expense of the people.
Very Poor Streamer Etiquette:
Calling People out by Name on Streams.
People don’t go to protests for other people to call them out on streams that are put up permanently online for law enforcement to review.
Filming Peoples’ Identities on Streams
Law enforcement use streams to target and identify people for repression and arrest
Narrating your Interpretation of what Kind of Action is Taking Place
Streamers often divulge personal opinions rather than facts when narrating about actions. Are you prepared to be a witness for law enforcement in the future?
Filming Direct Actions
Everything you film, can and will be used against protesters if law enforcement has anything to do with it.
Narrating Logistics and Tactics
At the height of Occupy Oakland, Undercovers were being called into certain FTP protests because of the “no Live Streaming” / “no Twittering” tactic.
FTP marches are ongoing Fuck the Police marches that take place in Oakland and across the Bay.
Narrating Group Routes
Police have a much easier time arresting people in the streets when they have Streamers narrating the group’s routes. You don’t need Undercovers and helicopters when you have a front-row seat.
If you want to be helpful to the movement, be honest about your intentions. Is your viewership more important than the people you are standing with? Do you want to be doing something that benefits the police over the people? Every action, every mass mobilization, has a story that can be told. But folks need to either start holding “non streaming” actions again, or streamers should stop operating as informants for the police.
If any of these issues are concerning to you, maybe consider NOT “Live Streaming” your next protest. Pick up a still camera, conduct some audio interviews, heck shoot some video. There’s no reason why you can’t go home after a protest and produce some content that is useful and not harmful. But in case it’s not in your blood to consider other people on that level, here are some good Live Stream tactics.
“Good” Livestream Tactics
More “Real Good” Livestream Tactics
Be safe out there, and make it safer for the masses by considering them when you point a camera at them!
by Sasha / Earth First! Journal
We have heard a lot about what stopped the fracking boom in New York after Governor Cuomo banned it last week.
While some insist that faltering prices that did the gas boom in, others credit the seven-year legal battle with stopped the practice. The running narrative is that it’s a combination of grassroots political involvement—going to public hearings, submitting comments, and doing ecological studies. But there’s another element people aren’t talking about as much.
What we don’t hear about is the intense blossoming of direct action that has generated a network of several Earth First! groups who have been working diligently to shut down fracking operations and natural gas infrastructure for the last six years. This movement spans a gamut of tactics, from protests to blockades to other escapades. It has been upsetting business as usual, costing the corporations money and the politicians credit.
In short, it’s working.
EF! in the Mix
The Marcellus Shale Earth First! Network sprung into action soon after the first wells started getting tested, and rapidly assembled several groups around the Marcellus, including Hudson Valley EF! (HVEF!) and Finger Lakes EF! (FLEF!), which have been active in direct action struggles.
In May of this year, Hudson Valley Earth First! (HVEF!) disrupted the 9th annual Northeast Power and Gas Markets Conference in New York City, sending home the message that fracking would not be accepted in the state.
Other groups involved have been Susquehanna Valley EF!, Genessee Valley EF!, and Occupy WELL Street.
“This campaign has been going on for almost two years, but now it’s getting serious,” said April Rogers, a member of HVEF! “If trucks show up, we’ll be there to stop them!”
Indeed, two years before the disruption in NYC, HVEF! stopped construction on a compressor station in Minisink, NY, along the Millenium Pipeline.
EF! has been engaged in this movement since the Newswire has been in existence, protesting outside of public hearings, drawing a spotlight with outrageous actions, and growing the movement.
In Winter of last year, MSEF! went on an extensive tour of New York and Pennsylvania, spreading the good word about direct action against fracking after a crucial victory defending the Loyalsock State Forest from fracking in Pennsylvania.
As the collective put it at the time, “MSEF! is a creative and growing movement, and sharing our struggle with others around PA and NY made it clear that the campaign to defend the Loyalsock is one that will unite many people.”
Prior to halting fracking in the Loyalsock, MSEF! engaged in a prolonged campaign against the Tennessee Pipeline through a lockdown, two consecutive treesits, and a two-week road blockade matched with a nine-day treesit.
The MSEF! network also shut down fracking operations in the Tiadaghton State Forest earlier this year and blockaded fracking trucks in the Moshannon State Forest in 2012.
Despite tremendous resistance, fracking in Pennsylvania is still going on, and activists continue to work to shut it down.
The Infrastructure Fight Still Needs Support
While the EF! network has been holding action camps and engaging in a number of campaigns, perhaps the largest of the area’s anti-gas struggles has been the We Are Seneca Lake campaign.
In a three-week blockade this November, 19 people were arrested halting construction of Crestwood Midstream’s gas storage facility on Seneca Lake.
Just this month, more than 100 people attended a demonstration outside of the court where the arrested were being arraigned. That day, nine more people were arrested locking themselves to the gates of Crestwood’s facility.
This came after a peaceful blockade in March which saw the arrest of 12 activists. Three more were arrested at their trial in April.
In total, some 92 people have been arrested in the movement to halt the Crestwood facility—a rousing campaign that is ongoing and needs your support!
If the movement against gas transport and storage is still raging in New York, its visibility has thrown the spotlight on the controversial practice of fracking as well. Chesapeake EF! is involved in the ongoing campaign against fracking exports in the Maryland Cove Point facility, and other campaigns continue to build steam.
Movement Builders
The victory in New York is a key movement builder, because it helps us recognize the components that make them happen, and focus on the campaigns that need support with greater numbers and resources.
Direct action is just one piece of the larger puzzle to stop industrial exploitation and destruction of land and livelihood. And, with community rights movements, legal battles, and protest movements, it’s winning.
It is important to note that these actions have taken place not just in New York, but in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well. This is a bioregional struggle, and claiming success in New York is not the end. The movement to stop fracking won’t stop at legal battles; it relies on the vigilance of communities impacted by the unsafe practices, and it will continue to expand throughout the Marcellus Shale until all fracking operations are shut down once and for all.
No Compromise!
from Frontline Action
MAULES CREEK, 24 December 2014: A man has suspended himself from a rail bridge crossing the Namoi River blocking a coal train being loaded at Whitehaven Coal’s controversial Maules Creek mine from leaving the site. The train blocked at the Maules Creek mine is believed to be the first containment of coal from the site after a test train – twice disrupted by activists – left the site last week. The rail bridge also services Idemitsu Resource’s Boggabri Coal mine.
Ben Solity, a 31 year old logistics consultant, cited deep concerns about the impact the mine will have on water and the climate, saying, “Farmers need water to continue to put food on our tables – so why are companies like Whitehaven allowed to take it with preference over farmers? Farmer’s jobs are only going to get harder for them as the effects of climate change driven by coal takes hold. Why are our governments selling out our water and our climate for a quick buck when food security is at stake?”
Leard Forest Alliance spokesperson Phil Evans said, “Australians do not want coal for Christmas – and Whitehaven are trying to sneak it into their stockings whilst everyone is distracted. Just more slimy behaviour from this disgraced company – and project – that has seen Australians lose faith in mining approval processes in this country.”
“We need a stop to this farce immediately – stop work and then have a good long, hard look at how successive NSW governments, embroiled in mining related corruption, have allowed the Maules Creek mine approval to stick.”
Both Whitehaven Coal’s Maules Creek and Idemitsu’s Bogggabri mines have approval to expand into the critically endangered Leard State Forest this February – sparking this warning from the protest group.
“They have a battle on their hands if they think local farmers, traditional custodians and concerned citizens are going to allow this wholesale destruction. The forest, water, climate and culture are all too precious to lose – and we won’t take this lying down.”
The Leard Forest Alliance is a group made up of local farmers, prominent environmental groups with a treaty of protection with the Gomeroi traditional custodians of the area. Over 300 people have been arrested since the campaign began over 2 and half years ago.
UPDATE 09:00: Regular police have arrived – no Police Resuce yet. Ben remains in place.
UPDATE 14:30: Ben has just unfurled a banner reading “Whitehaven Coal – No Water – No Future”
UPDATE 16:15: Police Rescue have arrived on site.
UPDATE 16:35: Police Rescue are trying to get to Ben with a Cherry Picker supplied by Whitehaven Coal.
UPDATE 17:00: Ben says Police Rescue are taking apart the bridge to get to him!
UPDATE 18:30: Police Rescue have begun to cut off the now locked on Ben.
UPDATE 19:30: Ben has been arrested and taken to Narrabri Police Station after 13 hours.
Further Information:
Phil Evans, Leard Forest Alliance Spokesperson, 0490 064 139
Twitter updates @FLACCoal and #LeardBlockade
December 16th, 2014
from Front Line Action on Coal
Newcastle, Australia 15 December: A peaceful blockade has halted the first train load of coal coming from the controversial Maules Creek coal mine on its way to Newcastle’s Kooragang Island coal export terminals this morning.
A group of 22 people met the train this morning. Eight people have occupied and stopped the train and are refusing to leave.
The train was stopped during the night and delayed for over 6 hours by a protestor who locked onto locomotives needed to push the coal over the Great Dividing Range. The 58 year-old protestor, Bruce, from Northern Rivers, has been arrested. Speaking about why he took action, Bruce said:
“Australia’s response to climate change is headed completely backwards. “If we can stop this new coal mine we set a precedent for the rest of Australia to stand up.”
Jonathan Moylan from Frontline Action on Coal said, “Over the last twelve months, hundreds of people have been arrested slowing down construction of the Maules Creek mine. The fate of our country, and people everywhere, depends on coal being left in the ground. In the absence of leadership from the industry or the Government to shut down coal exports and prevent dangerous climate change, ordinary people have taken extraordinary action to stop this mine.
“A growing number of people are standing up to the coal industry’s plans to ship increasing volumes of coal and fuel dangerous climate change. Doctors, people of faith, IPCC scientists and earlier this month, former Wallabies captain David Pocock, have all taken action to halt construction at Maules Creek. Even Malcolm Fraser last week tweeted about Maules Creek, referring to the coal sector as an ‘industry of a past age’.
Local Newcastle mother, Vanessa Wiebford said, “I want my daughter to have a future without the horror of extreme heat and fire, and uncertain water and food production. I am bitterly disappointed in Australia’s political leadership and their unthinking support for expanded coal exports at a time when we’re already seeing alarming signs of dangerous climate change.
“If they’re not going to act to prevent this, then all parents have a duty to risk arrest to try and stop it ourselves.
2014 is now expected to break the record as the hottest year in Australia’s history. Heatwave conditions were observed in many parts of the country during our hottest spring on record this year, and the Bureau of Meteorology is predicting a return to El Nino conditions at a time when much of Queensland and parts of New South Wales are already drought declared.
The burning of coal exported from Australia is this country’s biggest single contribution to climate change, and production and export of coal increased in the last 12 months.
“With the international climate negotiations in Lima failing to deliver the scale of action needed, people around the world will next year have to take their future into their own hands like never before. Ordinary people are stepping up to do what it takes to stop the fossil fuel industry’s dangerous expansion plans,” said Moylan.
UPDATE 6:00 am: Coal train is stopped.
UPDATE 8:15 am: The five activists have been lower from atop the coal wagon by police.
UPDATE 9:00am: The coal train starts moving again after 3 hours at a stand still.
UPDATE 12:30pm: Four activists released after being processed at Waratah police station.
Media Enquiries
