Extinction Rebellion activist Ian Fox, charged over Santos climate change protest, released on bail
A man charged over Wednesday’s chaotic Extinction Rebellion protest in the CBD has faced court – and a magistrate agreed with his right to protest.
Police & Courts
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A climate change activist charged over Wednesday’s chaotic four-hour rally in the CBD has won bail with a magistrate agreeing to his right to continue to protest.
Extinction Rebellion protester, Ian David Fox, 64, applied for bail in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday.
During the protest, the Santos building was vandalised with slogans, protesters glued themselves to Flinders Street and released smoke flares. Some protesters held up traffic for hours while others were forcibly removed from the Santos building’s first floor roof by emergency services. Six people, including Fox, were arrested during the protest.
A police prosecutor said if Fox won bail, they would seek a condition he not be allowed to enter the Adelaide CBD.
“The accused climbed on to a roof overhanging the Santos building, hung banners from the roof and sprayed substance on the windows,” the police prosecutor said.
“He let off a smoke grenade and glued his hands to the roof – this resulted in police, STAR Group and MFS resources being tied up for approximately four hours, as well as traffic in the area.”
Fox, of Flagstaff Hill, and another protester, a 32-year-old Paradise woman, were atop the first-floor Santos balcony roof and had to be brought down by STAR Group officers and MFS crews.
They are both charged with being unlawfully on premises, property damage and disturbing the peace, with the woman bailed to appear in court at a later date.
A 70-year-old North Plympton woman, 65-year-old Flaxley woman, 38-year-old Mile End woman and 65-year-old Henley Beach South woman were charged with loitering as part of the protest.
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”.
The group has been calling on the Australian Government to drastically cut emissions by 2025 to avoid climate disaster.
“Police have intelligence that there is a similar protest planned in the near future – we submit there is a likelihood of reoffending,” the police prosecutor told the court on Thursday.
Claire O’Connor SC, for Fox, told the court her client – who has no criminal history – has been involved in many climate change protests.
“The protest was run by an organisation that started with the climate change movement – they do non-violent protests,” she said.
“He was on the roof and asked to leave but by then the ladder that had been used to get him on to the roof had been removed by someone so he was in a position of not being able to get down.”
Ms O’Connor said Fox and the other protesters wanted to alert the public that inaction to climate change was a very important and serious matter.
“There is no law that says you can’t protest – while you’re protesting if you break the law of course you can be arrested for that and that’s the price many people who are committed to climate protest take,” she said.
“There’s no such as intelligence from the police – this organisation always advises police of where the protest will be, how many people are expected and what’s likely to occur.”
Ms O’Connor said implementing a bail condition that prevented Fox from attending the CBD would be “onerous and punishing”.
“To take a person’s right to protest until they come back to court is my submission is a complete misuse of the Bail Act,” she said.
Magistrate Luke Davis granted Fox bail, and did not ban him from the CBD.
“In his case it’s an important right to democracy to be able to protest peacefully and to do that you need to be able to go to the spot where that’s going to occur,” he said.
“In my view, the public’s more than protected by the fact that he will be on bail for these offences so if he further offends he will have to pay the consequences for that.”
The charges were adjourned until June.
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