ACTIVIST FINED FOR GAMES PROTEST
A COMMONWEALTH Games protester who attempted to storm the gates of the stadium at the opening ceremony has pleaded guilty to causing a public nuisance.
Ruby Rose Wharton, 21, a criminology student at Griffith University, was fined $300.
The Southport Magistrates Court was told yesterday police had been called “dogs” and “domestic terrorists” during the incident.
The court was told Stolenwealth Games protesters were mistakenly under the impression 10 tickets were available to watch the ceremony at Carrara in April but when the group, which had a permit to protest, realised there were no tickets they ran to the gate and tried to push their way in.
Defence lawyer Steve Cavanagh said Wharton was swept up in the moment.
Magistrate Ron Kilner said the average person, if told tickets were not available, would “shrug their shoulders and go away”.
“The normal person wouldn’t carry on like your client … what sets your client apart from a normal person?” Mr Kilner said.
“One could well imagine there would have been a lot of people and police resources would have been stretched to the limit.”
Mr Cavanagh said Wharton was caught up in the moment and there was nothing in the facts to show anyone had been disadvantaged by the protest. Wharton was fined but no conviction was recorded.