NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge pleads not guilty over Kirribilli protest charges
New South Wales Greens MP David Shoebridge has pleaded not guilty to disobeying a police direction at a climate protest outside Scott Morrison’s prime ministerial residence.
Shoebridge was one of 10 people arrested for disobeying a police direction to move on outside the Kirribilli residence on 19 December.
He said the police action on the day was “overreach” and entered a plea of not guilty at Manly local court on Thursday.
The matter was adjourned until 31 January at the Downing Centre local court.
“This was gross police overreach,” Shoebridge told reporters outside court.
“There was no proper basis for police to issue the move-on orders and send the riot squad in.
“This was clearly an act of intimidation designed to break the will of
protesters.”
Two other protesters – Angela Michaelis
and Ellen Roberts – also pleaded guilty in the same court, with magistrate Mark Richardson giving them a nine-month good behaviour bond without conviction.
The remaining seven protesters did not enter pleas and their matters were adjourned to 31 January at Downing Centre local court.
Izzy Raj-Seppings, the 13-year-old who made headlines when she was moved on by police during the protest, said it was “terrifying” when the riot squad arrived.
The teenager was not arrested but said she was “humiliated” when the police ordered her to move on.
“I felt like I had done something wrong, I felt like I was a criminal but I was one of the lucky ones,” she told reporters outside the court.
“We have the right to demonstrate. It’s horrendous they came and shut it down.”