April 10, 2008: Following a pre-dawn raid yesterday at College Grove bushland in Bunbury, 2 activists were arrested with one taken to hospital after a forceful and violent push by WA Police. A spokes for the Community Independent Activists (CIA) group says it was the “most violent display by police in 15 years of forest activism…”
The forest rescuers managed to stop heavy machinery for over two hours on the first day of native bushland being cleared for the controversial LandCorp/City of Bunbury land release.
The CIA group are asking for your help in the action. Billeting can be provided for anyone wishing to help out on the ground. Please phone 9791 5515 or 0422 540 756 to get in contact…
Almost one police per protester was sent to College Grove to ensure that industry got to smash down one of the few remaining areas of forest in Bunbury Western Australia.
The group of peaceful activists had been occupying a tree in the College Grove bushland near Bunbury in WA’s south-west. At 5am on Wednesday 9th April around a dozen police officers surrounded the tree.
A tree-sitter removed all ropes for climbing down the 30 metre tuart tree she was occupying and refused to come down. She had been part of a rotation of dozens of concerned local people taking shifts up the old Tuart over the past two months. According to the Bunbury Mail, a cherry picker attempted to remove her at 9am — protesters were told that they would be arrested if they entered the “worksite.”
The CIA told Perth Indymedia today that after a callout to the community. Some 40 people — consisting of elderly people, children, mothers and those not at work — converged at the site and rushed an excavator, playing music and generally making the most of the situation. More police arrived bringing the number to around 40.
A group including elderly and children broke the line and held up the heavy machinery that was clearing a path through the forest to the tree platform.
They left when warned by police they would be arrested, but ran back in front of the moving machine a short time later.
Protestors climbed onto the machine, unfurled a banner along one side and sung songs for almost two hours before police reinforcements arrived and cleared the group. One man used a locking device to lock himself to the grader.
CIA report that two of the group were arrested following a violent and unprovoked attack by police after they refused to loosen their grip on the machine.
South West Environment Centre spokeswoman Susan Hill told the West the majority of people in Bunbury were opposed to the development. “At least 50 per cent of the community of Bunbury want this to remain here and this is our legacy,” she said. She said protests would continue until the developers backed down.
The Tactical Response Group have since left, being replaced by new officers and the CIA group have since reoccupied the tree and are conducting walkthroughs at the site.
Mainstream news cameras were at the scene and reported the violent police actions on south-west television last night.
Please phone 9791 5515 or 0422 540 756 to get in contact… “WA forests need your help”
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VIDEO: Industry destroys more Australian heritage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWu_5I9ZY2c
Police move in to College Grove
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2FAA9B57rw
WAforests — Youtube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/WAforests
Perth Indymedia Background:
College Grove Tuart action escalates in Bunbury
http://perth.indymedia.org/?action=default&featureview=618
Bunbury Mail
The West
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I’m about to give my own “report” for the events of the 10th (yesterday).
[Reports are being posted by someone else so I’m going to do a mini report in the hope that they will give a more detailed report (according to the needs and philosophies of the local crew)].
Yesterday a person (not sure if I’m able to use his name yet) “locked on” to a machine all day at College Grove. He was allowed by the police to remain locked on, thanks to the outcome of a court case involving another of our crew. The police admitted to being powerless, thanks to the courts and “new laws”.
———————–End of report———————–
Recently one of our crew was acquitted of charges laid against him for an identical action at Arcadia Forest (near Collie) last year.
Well this does not automatically create a “binding precedent” as that happens when a decision is handed down by a higher court (where we’re concerned — higher than the Magistrates court) but myself, Roger and now Dave have been acquitted under similar circumstances. Well it seems to have made an impact on the police, though we have not actually affected an actual precedent.
My PERSONAL feeling is that having lost three consecutive forest cases and accrued in excess of $10,000 of costs as a result, not to mention time wasted and bad publicity, that the police have possibly considered that the benefits of doing what they always do to stop us, is no longer viable.
PHEW! What does this mean? 1). Well we locked on and the cops, as the officer admitted to us ‘Are disempowered” to do anything. 2).We can keep locking on and there is nothing they can do about it.
HOWEVER! It’s still early days. It’s damn fine news but I would like to seek legal advice before recommending a course of action.
In the meantime, stay radical.
From ‘The West’:
Police move on College Grove protesters — 11th April 2008, 16:00 WST
http://southwest.thewest.com.au/Regionals.aspx?MenuID=277&ContentId=67471
Police have issued seven move on notices to protesters at College Grove bushland to keep people from entering the LandCorp housing development site.
Yesterday a man chained himself underneath a front end loader, halting the movement of the vehicle for several hours.
Acting Inspector Eric Asjes said the protesters had to accept the democatic process and allow police to devote their manpower to other causes.
“I don’t think the protesters are doing the right thing here, to cause so much grief and loss of manpower is really not the aim of the protest but it is affecting our ability to attend other jobs,” Insp Asjes told thewest.com.au