Yep, I got arrested trying to block a coal ship in the world’s largest coal port and I’m proud as fuck, give all your love to the protest organisers. I’ve talked about it a ton over in this thread (and a few others in similar communities). I was joined by a handful of other people, including a student doctor who is in this photo but hard to see, she’s on my right in the shade. She’s so damn brave and a huge inspiration.
This took place at the People’s Blockade, an annual “protestival” organised by a group called Rising Tide.
I’m the (misgendered 😡) 27 year old in this article.
170 people then set a new record for the largest civil disobedience action in Australian history the following day, they’re all incredibly brave people who have had enough.
We fought the government in court and won the right to protest against the fossil fuel corporations who are burning our children’s futures. We also fight to secure the future jobs of the workers in these industries, demanding a 78% tax on current fossil fuel projects to help them in the transition to a renewable future.
It’s been a long few days, I’ve just arrived home about half an hour ago. Goodnight.
Thank you. You are the heroes of our times.
For those worried about safety, I’ve just been given permission to share this letter to the Lord Mayor of Newcastle discussing event safety, hopefully it’s readable!
Quick image transcription from my phone’s image text selection thing:
Dear Lord Mayor Dr Kerridge
I understand that the actions of Rising Tide supporters over the past week may be causing concerns to council members and would like to provide some insights prior to your council meeting.
I am a longtime local, having worked for 16 years in risk management in health. 3 years in project management at the university and 11 years as an organisational management consultant. I have written and reviewed more risk and safety plans than I care to remember. In all those years I have not witnessed such attention to safety and training as I did with this event.
For months leading up to the event. Rising Tide organisers ran training in locations around the country and online. These included safety (on the water and generally), legal rights and responsibilities and non-violent civil disobedience. I have attended these training sessions and have been impressed by the emphasis on staying safe, remaining respectful and making a considered decision regarding individual involvement. At no point was there any pressure to undertake action that we were not comfortable with: on the contrary we were encouraged to examine how we felt and to step back if the action didn’t feel right.
Having run many community events, conferences and training workshops over the years I was also impressed by the attention to detail in respecting the space. Over 1,000 volunteers ensured that the site remained orderly, clean and navigable. They provided meals, counselling, first aid, security, legal support and more. This was a dry event so no alcohol or illicit drugs, so no resulting poor behaviour. Today the site is so clean, it looks like the event never happened.
Throughout the event, organisers openly expressed their thanks to the council and in particular the Lord Mayor. for supporting the event under difficult circumstances. The actions by the state government were shown to be unlawful, unnecessary and a complete overreach of their authority. As citizens, we have a right to protest.
If there is discussion about the behaviour of the protestors at tonight’s council meeting, I suggest you hold judgement until the evidence from the blockade is presented in court in January. The information presented by police and some media agencies is not the whole story and at times factually incorrect.|
I would like to express my personal thanks to you, Lord Mayor, for taking a stand on such a controversial issue.
There is no greater concern to the world than the impending impacts of climate change. The move away from coal and gas is not a choice, it’s a necessity. I grew up in a mining community and understand the concerns of mineworkers. which is why a considered and just transition is so important. It’s to Newcastle’s advantage that we address that sooner rather than later.
Oh hell yeah, I love you!
Probably another note about safety, just heard that
someoneseveral people I was up there with had their paddles stolen by cops, were pushed out into the channel and left to drift. They had to paddle by hand to get to safety…
I’m an ordinary person, who less than a year ago sat around on a couch and cried about how powerless I was about all of this. Never forget that we give up our power by thinking we don’t have any.
There is so much you can do, and you don’t have to go anywhere close to the extremes I’m willing to.
You’re amazing! It feels both incredibly scary and exhilarating to get arrested but know you’re right and they’re wrong. I don’t want to dox myself, but I’ve been arrested and charged for climate civil disobedience before, and I wish you nothing but success and support in your future endeavors!
Hell yeah, way to go comrade!
It was a pretty wild experience, but I consider myself extremely privileged to have had a relatively easy experience and very minor charge. Those who took a stand on Sunday were far braver than me, we had a number of children, great grandparents and even an actual coal miner who where arrested for demanding their future back.
Absolute legend.
Out of interest, have you contacted the ABC to see if they can issue a correction? Or if not, would you like someone random to give them an anonymous tip-off about their error?
I did try to see if I could get it changed but I couldn’t find the old “send a message to the writer” thing I recalled being on the old website. Plus I’ve been living on a pretty old phone I didn’t mind loosing and it was a huge pain to use.
If you want to, feel free. One of the other reasons I didn’t is because it’s the same in all the other media companies’ stories, and it was more than one so I really couldn’t be bothered. At this point it’s not really news anyone is reading, Sunday was way more important and interesting. Up next we’ll have the protest moving to federal parliament in Canberra so that’s hopefully where everyone will be looking over the next few days.
How did the 78% tax on fossil fuel projects figure get arrived at?
I’m afraid I don’t know, I’m not in direct contact with the organisers and everyone is really busy with the Canberra wave and supporting Sundays arrestees.
I expect it’s just because Norway has done it and it’s then been adopted by Rising Tide as something the Australian government should also do.
Cringe
I know! It’s so cringe that the cops arrest protesters rather than coal industry executives 😔
Stolen from this lovely comic
What have you done?
Got an engineering degree, and work in the power industry.
What did OP getting arrested accomplish beyond ruining their chance to get a good job in the future?
I didn’t commit a violent act or anything, my job is fine. And hey, if it’s not and my current employer lets me go, I’ll be fine, there are plenty of places I could apply to without issues. But thankyou for your concern, friend.
I was very well prepared for this and new exactly what I was risking.
We had a planned set of goals, and most where achieved. We had hoped to actually block the coal ship from departing even for a short time, but we didn’t really manage that.
If you weren’t doing anything stupid, then why did you and two other people get arrested out of the hundreds of people there? It sounds like you were putting people in danger so they had to arrest you to prevent something bad from happening.
The police narrative has been all about safety, but it’s honestly been a huge lie. At no point was I or anyone else in any danger, everything I did was well planned. There wasn’t even a ship in the channel at the time and it wasn’t possible for me to put anyone else in danger, that’s a conscious decision you have to make for yourself as the channel is a fair way from the shore.
The arrest happened because we paddled out into the shipping channel and deliberately disobeyed a lawful order.
Police exist to protect the private interests of the wealthy, they were not there for anyone’s actual safety. There was a safety team out on the water as part of the protest, and they’re doing a far better job than the police ever have. In all honesty the police are the biggest safety risk to us, I’ve seen images of people being handled very roughly and I watched them manhandle an elderly man from the boat in this photo.
This protest has run for 13 years now and every year except this one we’ve been allowed to sit in the channel for a few dozen hours without incident. The government wants business as usual and we had no intention of allowing that.
I’ll ask honestly, do you think that everything the government does is for the good and the safety of the people? The police, especially so?
I think there is a right and wrong way to make change happen, and bragging about being arrested is childish.
Civil disobedience gave us our ability to exist as trans people. Marsha P. Johnson was arrested over 100 times just for being trans in public. Laws do not dictate ethics.
Well, it sure doesn’t happen in a voting booth. Otherwise I’d be enjoying some great renewable energy right now instead of talking to you using coal and gas while I watch the world burning around me.
People share cool stuff they’ve done on here all the time, and this was one I did. It doesn’t make me special or anything and it seems like a lot of people enjoy hearing about it, so I figured I’d spread the word around.
We’ll almost definitely have to do this again next year and we need all the support we can get.
I say this sincerely Kit, and without an ounce of joy. You’re being an asshole on the internet. If that’s not who you want to be, I recommend talking to somebody irl and taking some time off social media.
The other possibilities are that you’re a conservative or just fed up with seeing people try to save us from damaging the climate further. in which case, there’s nothing I can say that would help.
Regardless of whether or not you consider what I said, I hope you have a good holiday season.
And to the protester who just got home. You’re a fuckin real one. Thanks for working towards a better future, and I hope you enjoy some well earned rest. 👊🫡
What would be a right way, then? Civil disobedience has been a vital tool in past social movements, and I read this post more as a call to action, coupled with Sasha processing the day’s events, not bragging.
