During rush hour, climate protesters have paralyzed portions of Sydney by blocking critical roads and a tunnel.
Monday marked the beginning of disruptions by members of Blockade Australia in protest of “Australia’s ecological catastrophe.”
The protestors were “violent” and “erratic,” according to the police, as they marched around the city and blocked streets with barricades and trash cans.
One driver was captured on camera driving through the protest and clashing with protesters.
New South Wales Police reported that more than ten individuals have been apprehended thus far.
They included a woman who blocked the Sydney Harbour Tunnel with her vehicle.
Assistant Commissioner Paul Dunstan stated that the hurling of bicycles, garbage cans, and other objects in the path of police, media, and innocent members of the public walking by will not be permitted.
Police were reviewing footage of a car plowing into demonstrators, he stated, but no injuries had been recorded.
In the last week, police raided suspected protest organizers’ campsites and arrested several other individuals.
This week, Blockade Australia has pledged to bring Sydney to a “standstill,” which they claim is necessary for people to take their message seriously.
The woman who blocked the tunnel live-streamed her protest and explained that she had personally observed “terrifying” climate change. She claimed to be from Lismore, a city ravaged by two devastating floods earlier this year.
After being verbally abused by a man, she stated, “There are people who are quite upset right now, and I can understand that… but we must take a stance.”
This is being done for you and your family’s benefit.
Premier of New South Wales Dominic Perrottet referred to demonstrators on a local radio station as “bloody fools.”
The activist group has halted operations at the world’s largest coal port in Newcastle, near Sydney, and Australia’s largest container port in the past year. Additionally, it has blocked major traffic bridges.
These protests pushed the state administration to draught new legislation imposing harsher fines for specific types of demonstrations.
Demonstrators who obstruct roads or impede traffic now risk a maximum of two years in prison and fines of up to A$22,000 (£12,400; $15,000).
The law also established new offenses for obstructing access to vital facilities such as ports and railroads.
