Extinction Rebellion climate activists block CBD street in ‘burning beds’ protest

Climate activists have glued themselves to Flinders Street while sitting in beds, blasting Midnight Oil in a protest against fossil fuels.

Star Group officers have arrested two activists who glued their feet to Flinders Street on Wednesday in a new Exinction Rebellion climate protest.

Activists blocked traffic in Adelaide’s CBD in the morning, gluing themselves to the road and sitting in ‘burning’ beds in the middle of Flinders St to protest against what they believe is collusion between the federal government and the fossil fuel industry.

Designed to coincide with Midnight Oil’s farewell Adelaide concert tonight, protesters said they were trying to encourage Australians to “resist the dominance of the fossil fuel industry”.

Two protesters who glued their feet to the road were arrested by STAR Group officers.

Extinction Rebellion members protest in front of the Santos building on Flinders Street. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

Protesters dressed as Energy Minister Angus Taylor and Prime Minister Scott Morrison, wearing Santos hats, sat in beds emblazoned with pictures of flames to highlight Australia’s “crippling capture” by fossil fuels.

They also blasted Midnight Oil’s ‘Beds Are Burning’, which is about Aboriginal rights.

The Oils, known for their strong environmental stance and lyrics, are on a farewell tour of Australia.

Ben Brooker, a spokesman for Extinction Rebellion SA said they wanted to coincide climate change commentary with Midnight Oil’s activism.

“Obviously that song had a slightly different meaning when it was written and was very much about First Nations sovereignty. We still agree with that message. We think it’s incredibly important and actually essential to climate change action, but at the same time, we’re saying that our beds are literally burning now,” Mr Brooker said.

“It’s all about the government’s failure to enact proper action to address the climate crisis with that song which still has continuing relevance to today.”

The Extinction Rebellion protest in front of the Santos Building on Flinders Street. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

“It talks about 45 degrees in the song. Well, that’s going to be peanuts compared to what’s coming with climate change.

“We’re going to be looking at vast areas of the Australian continent that will be uninhabitable. We’re seeing the movement of First Nations people out of some of those communities because they’re simply unliveable due to the effects of the climate crisis.

“The federal budget last night instead of upping the climate change action that people want the government to be doing just slashed climate action over the next four years by 35%.

“That is absolutely criminal with what’s happening right now.”

Protester Ronny Rees said the government and fossil fuel industry were “destroying the planet” to a point where it would no longer be liveable.

Midnight Oil fan jacqi Foster, 55, from Sydney, has been following the band across the country. At the protest, she told The Advertiser that Scott Morrison doesn’t have her vote.

“They just need to change their stance on climate action,” she said.

“Scott Morrison’s 2030 Paris Agreement is too far in the future. They need to be readdressing it now. He needs to be putting it into the (upcoming) election.”

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