Extinction Rebellion activists throw flares, vandalise Santos building and glue themselves to Flinders St, throwing traffic into chaos
The Santos building was vandalised as climate change protesters glued themselves to a city street, causing major peak-hour traffic delays. Six people have been arrested.
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Six people have been arrested after causing major peak-hour traffic delays after vandalising the Santos building, releasing smoke flares and gluing themselves to the road on Flinders Street.
The protesters blocked traffic, causing delays of around half an hour for many commuters.
They were protesting against Santos and demanding action on climate change.
Four protesters appeared to be glued to the road and two other activists were chained to them.
The protesters graffitied the Santos building, with phrases such as “renewables recovery now” and “net-zero emissions by 2025”.
A banner hanging under the building’s sign reads “your gas is killing us”.
An MFS fire truck with a cherry picker was called in to remove two protesters sitting on the first-floor balcony roof.
Two protesters atop the balcony roof were brought down by STAR Group officers and MFS crews.
Upon reaching the ground, 32-year-old Paradise woman and a 64-year-old Flagstaff Hill man were arrested and charged with being unlawfully on premises, property damage and disturbing the peace.
The woman was bailed to appear at a later date, the man did not apply for bail and is expected to face the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday.
Four women, a 70-year-old from North Plympton, a 65-year-old Flaxley woman, 38-year-old from Mile End and 65-year-old Henley Beach South woman, who glued their hands to the street, were arrested and charged with loitering.
Police and MFS are making a move to bring the protesters down from the roof pic.twitter.com/DmK6dH0MgO
— Patrick James (@PatJamesTiser) March 9, 2021
“Climate change needs immediate action, the time is now,” one of the protesters on the roof said.
A heavy police presence diverted traffic at Pulteney Street and King William Street.
In a statement to the media, the group wrote that they were fighting to halt climate change and the protesters were parents and grandparents “deeply afraid for the future of their children and grandchildren in the looming climate catastrophe”.
The group has been calling on the Australian Government to drastically cut emissions by 2025 if we are to avoid climate disaster.
Extinction Rebellion spokesman Harald Ehmann said Santos needed to do more to cut emissions.
“Santos agrees there’s a climate crisis and makes supportive comments about renewable investment, but this is just a smokescreen,” he said.
“The company is pushing ahead with developing 750 gas wells in their Narrabri coal seam gas project. Its environmental offerings cannot be taken seriously.
“We don’t need a gas-led recovery, we need a renewables-led recovery, and we need it now.”
A Santos spokesperson said Santos is a corporate leader in climate action, setting an ambitious net-zero target by 2040.
“Santos’ net-zero 2040 target is well ahead of our industry peers and most governments,” he said.
“In our own operations Santos has installed more than 5.5 megawatts of solar electricity and 4 megawatt hours of battery storage but the real game-changer to reduce our emissions is the Moomba CCS Project.
The Moomba CCS Project will safely and permanently store 1.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. That’s the equivalent of taking about 700,000 cars off the road and will sustain thousands and create around 230 new South Australian jobs.”
The statement also pointed to the International Energy Agency, which says that natural gas is critical to a lower carbon future.
“Natural gas is also lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, reducing air pollution and improving human health across the developing world.”
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