Climate change protesters’ prank stops traffic in Brisbane’s CBD

Police have used chemicals to detach two climate change protesters glued to a zebra crossing in the busiest part of Brisbane’s CBD, in a stunt that has thrown the city’s traffic into gridlock.

TWO people who locked and glued themselves to a zebra crossing outside the GPO in Brisbane’s CBD to protest climate change inaction have finally been removed after police used chemicals to dissolve the adhesive.

The protest, which was part of the international Extinction Rebellion movement, caused the closure of Queen St, between Creek and Edward streets about 8am, throwing the city’s peak-hour traffic into chaos.

Police in Queen St with protesters Sergio and Ebony. Picture: Liam Kidston

Police spent about an hour trying to remove the pair, eventually using chemicals to dissolve the glue binding protesters to crossing.

The protesters were transported together in a paddy wagon, still bound in an arm-lock device.

Police inspector Geoff Acreman said the stunt was a ridiculous waste of resources.

“These protests are designed to get a message across,” he said.

“In most cases that happens and the protesters move on. Unfortunately in their case they got their message across but it’s caused a massive obstruction that was totally unnecessary.

“This is a massive inconvenience to emergency services and resources.

“I don’t think it does their cause any good in relation to getting the public on-side either. The public is pretty annoyed to have been inconvenienced as they have been today.”

Insp Acreman said the pair had not committed a crime but caused a public nuisance and failed to comply with police direction to leave the scene.

An Extinction Rebellion spokesman said the protest was about forcing leaders to take action on climate change, including zero omissions by 2025, preservation of biodiversity and putting an end to land clearing.

Climate change protesters in Brisbane during peak hour.

Protesters on a zebra crossing in Brisbane’s CBD. Picture Jasmine Lill

“What the campaign is saying is that business as usual is leading us to catastrophe,” he said.

“We’ve had an environmental movement for over 30 years but we are still heading towards destruction.

“We’ve signed petitions, we’ve held signs and still we are heading towards catastrophe — this is the only way,” the spokesman said.

“We hope our leaders will take action — do what they have been elected to do and lead … we want them to look at the science and take action because there’s no jobs on a dead planet, we cant drink or eat money.”

This morning’s protest comes four days after Extinction Rebellion issued a video plea for supporters to prepare for action.

“It’s time for civil disobedience. It’s time for us to rebel,” said Extinction Rebellion SEQ spokesman Tom Howell.

A protest organiser at the scene said while the protest did not agree with the approval of the Carmichael mine project in North Queensland, that was not the primary goal of their action.

One of the protesters is wearing an anti-Adani T-shirt.

Anti Adani protesters stage a protest in Brisbane. Twitter pic Josh Wheeldon

Police set up a tent with a curtain shielding protesters from the public.

Five additional protesters are holding a banner and singing folk songs.

Assembled spectators were informed by a nearby busker that a bigger protest, featuring thousands of marchers, would return to the street on August 6 in an escalation to Extinction Rebellion’s protest.

Bulimba receptionist Diana Nyari, 22, said her regular 20-minute commute to Bowen Hills had taken her an hour in traffic this morning.

“It’s so frustrating,” Ms Nyari said.

“These protesters don’t consider other people. They could go about this in a different way.

“They’re trying to send a message but they’re influencing people in a silly way.

Taxi driver Mohammed Hossain said traffic around the city was noticeably worse this morning.

“People who work in offices in the city have been getting very frustrated because it is making them late,” he said.

“(The protester’s actions) is not a good way. Brisbane is innocent, we have nothing to do with this mine.”