CLIMATE PROTEST ANGER
CBD LIE-IN: Rally prompts safety concerns
CITY leaders have questioned the safety of having people, including children, lying in the middle of a busy CBD street as part of a climate protest.
Extinction Rebellion protesters (pictured) staged d the lie-in across Malop St on Saturday, with one local MP P describing the action as “unacceptable”.
CITY leaders have questioned the safety of having people, including children, lying in the middle of a busy CBD street as part of a climate protest.
Extinction Rebellion protesters staged a lie-in across Malop St on Saturday, following action that caused chaos and resulted in more than 110 arrests in Melbourne last week.
The activists have warned that Geelong has not seen the last of their demonstrations.
Western Victoria MP Beverley McArthur slammed the protest as “unacceptable”. “I don’t think it’s acceptable that anybody, especially young people, should be glueing themselves or lying on the road,” she said.
City of Greater Geelong Brownbill ward councillor Eddy Kontelj said the protest was disruptive to businesses and residents. “I’ve got no issue with people protesting in an appropriate way,” he said. “But I feel the manner they’ve gone about it, blocking off Malop St, is not appropriate.”
Geelong MP Christine Couzens said she supported the right of people to protest, but public and children’s safety was paramount. “I’m always concerned that safety is a priority when it comes to these things,” Ms Couzens said yesterday.
“I support issues around climate change, I think it's a way of having a voice. Any protest is going to cause disruption. It’s really about the whole safety issue and making sure if you are protesting that carers ensure children are safe, and people ensure they are safe.”
Police said they were satisfied with the protesters’ conduct, and Geelong Superintendent Craig Gillard said he had “no issue” with the nature of the protest.
“They engaged with us well and conducted themselves appropriately,” Supt Gillard said.
“We planned for it and it was very structured. We were very comfortable with it. Everyone has the right to protest.”
Dozens of protesters took part. No arrests were made.
Extinction Rebellion is a global sociopolitical movement with the aim of using civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance to protest against climate breakdown, biodiversity loss and the risk of social and ecological collapse.
Climate protester Josh Matsubara said Geelong activists had joined the movement to push the council to declare a climate emergency, after the motion was shot down by a single vote at a council meeting last month.
“We desperately need Geelong to declare a climate emergency — which they failed to do in the last council meeting,” he said. “We have tried everything, we tried to lobby council, we tried to do petitions, school strikes. That’s why we are here today. We want to halt biodiversity loss, we want to reduce our emissions to zero by 2025 and … create a citizens’ assembly.”