OUR SURVIVAL DEPENDS ON OUR RESISTANCE Today, Sydney saw another demonstration of powerful, collective resistance.
Sydney
DAY ONE – Resist Climate Destruction, Sydney Mobilisation.
These actions took place on the unceded lands of the Gadigal people.
People have taken to the streets of Sydney during peak hours this morning, causing mass disruption to the city.
This is in direct response to Australia’s continued blocking of climate action and the escalating repression against nonviolent protestors on this continent. …
Meanwhile, Mali, 22 has locked on to a car blocking the Harbour Tunnel in North Sydney.
Australia is a system of exploitation set to destroy our climate. We are bringing the fight back to where it began.
“The Australian colony started here. It’s where violence landed on this continent and where the destruction of Country began. Since then, Sydney has developed into the political and economic capital of Australia. It makes perfect sense to start at the guts of this system and disrupt it’s most important points.”
Mali
Stand with us on the streets of Sydney as we continue to resist climate destruction.
Join the Blockade Australia Telegram channel
NSW Police has arrested two Blockade Australia activists at a campsite in Sydney early this morning.
Activists were encircled by around 25 police, while police boats patrolled a nearby river. Initially, police refused to respond to questions as to why those at the campsite were being detained. Police were accompanied by Channel 9’s news team.
One of the activists arrested was a 62-year-old Aboriginal elder who was staying at the campground. She has been charged with intimidation and affray, outrageous charges that bear no relation to reality.
Police have maintained intense surveillance since the dramatic raid over the weekend west of Sydney. Activists have been surveilled and arrested by plain-clothed police in the days following the police invasion of our property and police have raided and intimidated climate activist households all over Sydney.
Those at the campsite have been informed police are continuing to pursue activists in relation to events over the weekend.
It is clear that police are intent on repressing climate activism in Australia. While this is an egregious and brutal abuse of power by the police, it is also an inevitable and expected response to climate activism that challenges the destruction and exploitation of the systems of Australia. We will not be intimidated by police. We will continue to take action to secure a liveable future.
JUNE 27th
Join this Telegram channel to get in on the action! https://t.me/BlockadeAustralia
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1058251928426065
Collective climate denial is an existential threat that is rampant in this society.
Australia’s priority is to protect an economic and political order that maintains focus on maximising exploitation.
The escalating repression over the last few days against activists taking co-ordinated action against this exploitation system highlights this priority.
Over the weekend, NSW police poured resources into an illegitimate and malicious police raid that saw 40 people, including elders and children detained. Seven people were arrested, and are banned from speaking to loved ones and friends.
As its opposition grows, Australia responds with violent and disturbing reflexes.
This is a system doing what it was set up to do: to block any attempt at a legitimate climate response.
When we take collective action that opposes and exposes the destructive nature of Australia’s operations, Australia attacks us: armed, organised, and declaring that we are the extreme ones.
An attack on those resisting the destruction of all life support systems is an attack on everyone.
We are fighting for clean air, for drinkable water and for a safe climate. Australia is blocking this. Australia’s mission is in direct conflict with the interests of life on earth.
Australia relies on a facade of progressive, democratic prosperity.
This weekend’s raid and the ongoing treatment of a movement desperately struggling for our collective survival exposes the rotten core of Australia.
Meaningful climate action must materially challenge Australia’s operations.
Australia was built on violent exploitation of people and the environment. Any serious threat to the profit driven suicide mission that Australia is on will be met with harsh state repression.
Our only option is to push back with more people, more conviction and no fear. Fear and apathy are our opposition’s only hope. We must not let them win.
Don’t let them beat us. Join us on June 27.
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This action will take place on the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We acknowledge their ongoing resistance to the colonial project of Australia, and pay respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Climate activists associated with Blockade Australia have been slammed with extreme bail conditions and imprisoned for weeks after being arrested in a chaotic raid of a property west of Sydney over the weekend. The raid was triggered after activists spotted camouflaged, unmarked police officers filming them from the bush on the property. Following this, dozens of police stormed the site, detaining and searching those on the property for most of the day.
Seven people were arrested and given charges with maximum sentences of up to ten years.
Of the seven, five have been released under extreme and punitive bail conditions. These include residing only at their designated bail address, reporting weekly to the local police station, remaining within the state, and not entering the Sydney CBD. In addition, activists have been given unprecedented non-association orders which prevent them from interacting with designated members of their community. These are extremely controlling and unusual measures for non-violent activists, particularly given that no crimes were underway.
The remaining two arrestees have been refused bail and will be imprisoned for weeks until their court hearings on the 12th of July.
In the days after the raid, an additional activist was arrested by plain-clothed police at a Sydney train station.
An activist associated with the group said “this is an extremely concerning escalation in the repression of climate activists by police. It is intended to intimidate those who seek to challenge climate destruction on this continent with the threat of imprisonment, and to protect the systems destroying our future from community resistance.”
“It is a weaponization of the legal system to attack and disempower activists. The fact that these sorts of responses by police are becoming increasingly frequent presents a huge threat to democracy and must be actively resisted by communities.”
This comes in the lead up to Blockade Australia’s Sydney mobilization to resist climate destruction from July 27th.
Recently found footage shows four unidentified police officers who had been secretly recording activists on a private property West of Sydney.
The footage shows two plain-clothed officers who entered the property in the vehicle, and two officers in full camouflage who had been spotted by individuals on the property hiding in the bushes filming them.
The two armed, camouflaged people found hiding above our campsite did not speak to those or the property, or identify themselves to or offer any sign to indicate that they were police officers. The vehicle was subsequently driven into activists on the driveway attempting to leave.
At no point did any of the climate activists harm or threaten to harm the camouflaged intruders or occupants of the vehicle. It is possible that the unmarked car was dented when it smashed into their bodies however we cannot verify this.
No crimes have been committed on the property, and this spying and raid demonstrate an immense overreach of power.
An activist associated with Blockade Australia said “This is a clear example of the frightening repression by police being increasingly faced by activists on this continent. It shows a deeply concerning vision of the attacks on democracy preventing meaningful action on climate destruction”
By nightfall, 7 people were in custody and around 40 people were stranded in the Blue Mountains, many with no bedding or warm clothing. Several people who had fled into the bush when they saw the armed intruders were unaccounted for. With temperatures rapidly dropping and no communications, those forced to leave the property were acutely worried.
Footage of police can be viewed here
NSW Police made a number of statements yesterday (19/06/22) in relation to a raid on a campsite occupied by Blockade Australia activists in Colo Valley. We would like to set the record straight.
At 8.30am on 19/06/22, climate activists in the Colo valley became aware of two people in full camouflage gear hiding in the bush above a camp occupied by Blockade Australia climate activists. We approached the two people, who were armed and masked, and spoke to them. The camouflaged people did not respond to our questions but remained stationary and silent. There were no police markings on their camouflage gear. They did not identify themselves as police. When they did not speak or move a climate activist tapped one of the camouflaged people on the shoulder and asked if they were okay. The person was heard to say, “We’ve been compromised”.
The two armed, camouflaged people found hiding above our campsite did not speak to us or identify themselves to us or offer any sign to indicate that they were police officers. At 9am a large black car sped down the private driveway to our campsite. The two camouflaged people ran towards it. They grabbed and pushed several climate activists before jumping into the vehicle. The vehicle contained two men carrying guns, wearing black tops and jeans. The vehicle and its occupants had no police markings. We asked the persons to identify themselves but none of the four occupants spoke with us. The vehicle then accelerated and sped towards people standing on the road. Two people were struck by the car and injured.
Read MoreA massive police raid is underway at a NSW property where climate activists connected with Blockade Australia are camped. Around 100 police including a dog squad, PORT squad with body armour and full face helmets, cammo squads, helicopters, CIB plus ordinary uniformed police surrounded the bush property and have commenced search and seizure procedures. It is unclear what the legal basis is for the raid. Direct actions taken by climate activists in the past have included blocking coal ports, bridges and fossil fuel terminals. No harm to other people has ever occurred during these climate protests. Climate activist Zelda Grimshaw said “This is insane police overreach. No actual crimes have been committed by the climate activists at the camp. These are ordinary people trying to protect earth’s life support systems. This level of police repression of the climate movement is unprecedented. We are now suffering multiple impacts of Australia’s continued climate destruction with unprecedented fires, floods, and repression’.
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