Forest activists attacked in the Upper Florentine Valley, Tassie
22 October 2008
On Monday morning a forest activist was repeatedly kicked in the head by violent, out of control loggers in the Florentine Valley, the site of a protest against old-growth logging.
A peaceful action by conservationists in the Upper Florentine was targeted by violent logging contractors, with one activist kicked in the head and blockade infrastructure attacked with a sledgehammer, seriously endangering two activists. This occurred while a Forestry Tasmania employee watched on.
The group blocked the road for three hours until about 9.30am (AEDT) when a contractor attacked the vehicle with a sledgehammer, she said.
“The contractor set upon the car with a sledgehammer and then dragged the activist out from the car and kicked him in the head while he was lying on the ground,” Ms Majewski said.
She said the victim, who escaped serious injury, was a 22-year-old male activist who unlocked his arm from the road during the sledgehammer attack.
“Members of the Tasmanian community engaged in legitimate peaceful protest in defence of ancient forests should not be subjected to this kind of violence, nor should it be condoned by Forestry Tasmania employees” said Still Wild Still Threatened spokeperson Ula Majewski.
“Due to the carbon-storage value of this forest, the contentious nature of this logging operation and today’s violence, Still Wild Still Threatened requests an immediate cessation of logging in coupe FO042E” Ula Majewski said.
“Violence of this kind is perpetrated by a small minority of logging contractors. Contractors such as Howell’s Logging should focus their anger on those who are endangering their livelihoods, such as Forestry Tasmania and Gunns Limited, who continue to damage Tasmanian communities and forests with an unsustainable, woodchip based industry” Ula Majewski said.
“Activists will be pursuing this matter with the police” said Miss Majewski.
On Saturday the camp will celebrate their second year trying to halt logging of old-growth forests in the Upper Florentine valley, about 120 kilometres west of Hobart.
The rainforest valley is surrounded on three sides by the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has identified the Upper Florentine as having potential World Heritage value.
Ula Majewski, a spokeswoman for the group Still Wild, Still Threatened, said attempts to save the forest were reaching a critical point, with plans to drive a 10-kilometre logging road into the valley this summer.
“That would open the entire area up for logging,” Ms Majewski said.
Video (same video also here)
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Campsite firebombed by loggers
24 October 2008
Three car loads of men arrived at the group’s campsite late last night, Still Wild Still Threatened member Ula Majewski said. “A number of unknown individuals arrived at Camp Florentine around 11.30pm and used jerry cans of petrol to set the two vehicles on fire,” Ms Majewski said today. “A forest activist who was sleeping in the vicinity of the vehicles was woken by shouting and loud smashing.
“A forest information booth provided for tourists was also set on fire and a gas cooker inside exploded,” she said.
The incident was reported to police after some of the activists had to walk out of the forest because their cars had been destroyed in the attack. Still Wild Still Threatened spokeswoman Ula Majewski said her group had used a “dragon” to block a road used by log truck drivers and forestry workers. With a “dragon” a car is driven over a device dug into the road and an activist, using a hole in the floor of the vehicle, locks an arm onto the device, she said.
The attack in the Florentine Valley, 120km west of Hobart, follows a violent clash between forestry workers and activists at a road block in the same area on Tuesday. Activists had disrupted logging in the area for a day last week using a tree-sitter, allegedly costing contractors an estimated $10,000 in lost revenue.
The camp has swelled with supporters to the Strathgordon Rd site in solidarity the protesters. The campsite, where five people were sleeping, blocks a forest road to an area marked for logging.
http://www.myspace.com/stillwildstillthreatened
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Tasmanian forest activists propose a solution
Still Wild Still Threatened and the Huon Valley Environment Centre are proposing a solution to the protracted debate over contentious forestry operations in old growth and high conservation value areas of the Southern Forests.
“Still Wild Still Threatened and the Huon Valley Environment Centre are proposing a Tasmanian and Australian Government driven solution to contentious logging and roading operations in the Southern Forests. We are calling on all stakeholders to adopt a considered and rational approach to bringing this prolonged forest debate to a fair and environmentally responsible conclusion,” said Still Wild Still Threatened Spokesperson Ula Majewski.
“Our organisations are prepared to cease all in-forest peaceful direct action that restricts logging and roading operations, contingent on a moratorium on all forestry operations in old growth and high conservation value areas of the Southern Forests, and the creation of an independently mediated dialogue that aims to resolve the forest issue,” said Huon Valley Environment Centre Spokesperson Adam Burling.
The conditions of this proposed solution are:
1. SWST and the HVEC will commit to a cessation of all in-forest peaceful direct action that restricts
logging and roading operations in the Southern Forests
2. The Tasmanian and Australian Governments will commit to a moratorium on all forestry, logging and roading operations in old growth and high conservation value areas of the Southern Forests;^1
3. An independently mediated dialogue will be undertaken, driven by representatives of the Department of Premier and Cabinet and the Office of the Prime Minister, and attended by representatives of the relevant ministries, including climate change, and relevant conservation groups and industry stakeholders. This dialogue will aim to resolve the long running forest debate in Tasmania in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner;
4. That the above commitments remain in force for a period of six months, with extensions granted if dialogue is ongoing;
5. That community events continue unhindered in the Southern Forests, and forest activists are able to maintain a presence in areas such as the site of Camp Florentine.
“The Tasmanian community deserves better than to see the continued logging of our precious remaining carbon dense ancient forests, such as the Styx, Weld, and Upper Florentine. And it deserves better than to see a forest industry that exists on government handouts and marginalises local operators. We urge policy makers to consider this unique proposal,” Adam Burling said.
“We will be formally contacting Premier Bartlett and Prime Minister Rudd about this today and are seeking a response by Tuesday 11^th November,” said Ula Majewski.
UNITED ENVIRONMENT GROUPS TAKE TASMANIAN FOREST SOLUTION TO THE FEDERAL CABINET
Environment groups working towards an end to the conflict over forest management in Tasmania took a united position to meetings with four Federal Cabinet ministers last night in Launceston.
Meetings were positive and environmental campaigners are confident this will mark the start of a constructive working relationship that could see the long-overdue delivery of environmental, social and economic viability to the struggling Tasmanian timber industry.
“We are hopeful requests to the Federal Cabinet and Tasmanian Premier Bartlett to engage in meaningful dialogue and participate in the solution to this long-running dispute will bear fruit” said Dr Phill Pullinger, Director of Environment Tasmania.
“Collectively, we call on Tasmanian Minister David Llewellyn to take a more open and constructive approach than that so far displayed, and help bring the Premier to the table and start talking about a positive way forward,” said Vica Bayley, spokesperson for The Wilderness Society.
Recent revelations that forest contractors want assistance to exit the industry, and that sawlogs are in over-supply, show that now is the time for a resolution to this conflict.
The Australian (4/11/08) reports, “In Tasmania, hard-hit forest contractors are seeking a federally funded exit package to allow them to leave the industry “with dignity”.
“Forestry Tasmania is not the appropriate body to negotiate this conflict. Only Premier Bartlett can, by joining with federal leaders and helping to steer forest conflict to an amicable closure” said Jenny Weber, spokesperson for the Huon Valley Environment Centre.
“Environment groups support a responsible forest industry in Tasmania and are united in the belief that there can be a resolution to the debate that could deliver win-win outcomes for our forests and forest-dependent communities,” said Ula Majewski, spokesperson for Still Wild Still Threatened.
29 October 2008
Friday 28th and Saturday 29th November 2008
A busy careers fair at Manchester’s GMex was intererrupted yesterday by several long whistle blasts. 30 or so protestors suddenly revealed their yellow ‘Leave it in the Ground’ t-shirts and surrounded the Royal Bank of Scotland stall, holding banners and chanting ‘leave it in the ground!’.
Come and join Exeter Critical Mass, November 1st. First Saturday of every month, meet outside Exeter Cathedral
British Climate Camp activists have taken their campaign to the Munich offices of E.ON.