A young activist with Blockade Australia has climbed on top of a mountain of coal, stopping the world’s largest coal port.
For the second consecutive day ports around the continent, including the Newcastle coal port, Brisbane port and Melbourne port have been shut down by activists.
Their banner says “Ecological collapse demands organised resistance. Take Action. Blockade Australia.”
Grace, 18, a conservation graduate from Ngunnawal & Ngambri country tells the reason why they are taking direct action: “Politicians aren’t going to suddenly wake up; there is no magic formula of words that will make them want to change things.
“Studying conservation challenges the idea of what this system thinks considers beautiful. The more I understand about conservation the less exciting learning about ecosystem becomes – it is totally heartbreaking knowing how quickly everything is dying. Once you know how quickly everything is dying it makes no sense not to act with urgency like I am right now.”
“Sometimes being part of a small group of people doing this feels unfair. A lot of people are ignoring the reality of the crisis because it’s too uncomfortable. Not acknowledging the situation we are in is cowardly. We can all take responsibility in these desperate times to do something about it, together.”
“Engaging in direct action like this makes a clear statement that we won’t be messed around. We are doing this because it’s necessary for survival and necessary to avert mass extinction. Actions like this are for our collective survival I act out of love for our haters, for the people rooting for us, for literally all human and nonhuman life.”
Claudia, the young climate activist who stopped the world’s largest coal port yesterday in Newcastle was in court today and was released on bail. She will appear in court on the 20th of July. Claudia was charged with trespass, and obstructing a railway.
