Protesters turn red against Adani mine across the nation
SCORES of red-clad protesters turned out at Brisbane’s Crosby Park on Saturday afternoon to create a human sign spelling out “Stop Adani” as part of a national day of action.
Major rallies also took place at Bondi Beach, Port Douglas and Carlton North, with dozens of smaller events held across each state and territory.
National director of Sea Shepherd Australia Jeff Hansen said his organisation was known for defending whale populations’ feeding grounds in the Antarctic.
“However, they face an even bigger threat in the form of the Adani coal mine,” he said.
He said “huge numbers” of coal ships would move through the Great Barrier Reef if the mine went ahead.
“Not to mention the burning of fossil fuels is having a catastrophic impact on Antarctica and the krill numbers, the whales’ food,” he said.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said such protests were part of living in a democracy.
“We have the toughest environmental conditions attached to that mine,” she said.
The national rallies came as new polling showed more than half of Australians opposed the central Queensland mine.
Two-thirds of people also believed the Queensland Government should veto a proposed $1 billion Commonwealth loan for a rail line to the Carmichael mine.