Extinction Rebellion protester Eric Herbert fined $220 for blocking bridge traffic

Serial climate change protester Eric Herbert has appeared in court this morning for blocking a busy Brisbane bridge during peak-hour last month.

EXTINCTION Rebellion poster boy Eric Serge Herbert has this morning been fined $220 for blocking traffic on a busy Brisbane bridge last month.

The 20-year-old activist pleaded guilty to one charge of causing a traffic hazard by moving into the path of drivers on the Victoria Bridge in peak hour traffic on September 30.

“I’m sure your honour has heard the news about the Extinction Rebellion protesters, this defendant is one of them,” police prosecutor Sergeant Andrea Ford told the court.

“He attends various protests and activities around Brisbane.”

Sgt Ford said Herbert and another person had blocked early morning traffic on the bridge.

“At approximately 7.45am the defendant attended the Victoria bridge in Brisbane, it’s obviously a busy inner city thoroughfare, two lanes of vehicle traffic, two lanes of bus traffic, two footpaths for pedestrians,” she said.

“The defendant and his associate placed themselves stationery on the bridge and refused to move.

“Now obviously it’s peak hour traffic … and his actions caused several vehicles travelling on the bridge to stop and they were unable to move.”

Sgt Ford said Herbert had been “belligerent” to police who attended.

“Obviously it was deliberate … and posed a risk to the defendant and other road users,” she said.

“He was highly belligerent with police, he showed absolutely no remorse for his actions.”

The court heard the young man has accumulated a lengthy charge sheet since June, including four public nuisance offences and a number of other “anti-social” charges.

Herbert represented himself in the court, telling Magistrate Jacqui Payne he had been “quite safe” when he moved onto the bridge on September 30.

“The road was fairly safe when I entered the roadway and a police officer entered with me and began to yell at me and stuff like that,” he said.

“The situation was calm from that police officer’s presence.

“I was of course committing an offence by being on the road, it was quite safe but I accept I was causing an obstruction on a road as an act of civil disobedience because the climate is at a crisis state.”

Herbert was fined $220 with a conviction recorded for the traffic offence.