Extinction Rebellion: Protesters face court after gluing themselves to road
Two climate protesters have faced court after gluing themselves to the middle of a busy inner Brisbane street this morning.
QLD News
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TWO climate protesters have faced court after gluing themselves to the middle of Countess St just before 8am this morning.
Hope Foley, 33, and Sean Nolan, 36, both appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court this afternoon charged with traffic offences over this morning’s gluing incident, which caused major traffic disruptions during peak hour.
Foley, who is studying a PhD in public health, was fined $300 after pleading guilty to the traffic offence of causing an obstruction on a pedestrian crossing.
“There is no suggestion your cause is not a proper or meaningful cause,” Magistrate Elizabeth Hall told Foley.
“However, people were inconvenienced so a proper penalty should be imposed.”
Foley had no conviction recorded.
Nolan, a massage therapist, was also fined $300 for gluing himself to the busy road.
The 36-year-old man who represented himself from the dock this afternoon had a history of traffic offences but had no conviction recorded.
Nolan and Foley are among nine people arrested this morning at the protest.
Several have been granted watch-house bail to return to court on August 6.
EARLIER: Police have confirmed nine people have been arrested so far from this morning’s protest as police take action to prevent peak hour chaos in Brisbane’s CBD.
Commuters were warned to expect major disruption a climate change activist group launches another peak-hour protest, but police have warned protesters they will be arrested if they block any intersection and refuse to move on.
Ratbag alert! These left wing extremists are reportedly gluing themselves to major Brisbane streets. Enough is enough, Police should enforce the law and they should be punished in court. #qldpol #auspol pic.twitter.com/bKmUB5u4F4
— Deb Frecklington MP (@DebFrecklington) July 16, 2019
The number of arrests is higher than Monday’s protest where seven activists were arrested.
It is unclear how many charges will be made.
A heavy contingent of police are shadowing the protesters as they move to the intersection outside the Roma St fire station, with the activist group saying four people have been arrested so far.
Members of Extinction Rebellion, the group who disrupted the CBD last Thursday and on Monday, are swarming the streets and targeting intersections, but police have warned them they will be arrested, taken to the watch house and charged if they do not move on when asked.
As a result, protesters aren’t blocking any intersections currently, but motorists are still unleashing their frustration, with some yelling “get a f***ing job”.
The group are standing on the pathway chanting. Eric Serge is among those who have been arrested this morning.
Extinction Rebellion spokesman Greg Rolls said two people were glued to the road at Countess St for 10 minutes before police arrested them.
A much smaller group of protesters are preparing to move through the city now, leaving Queens Plaza.
Earlier, a motorcyclist was hit by a car close to where a climate change protest is getting under way in Brisbane’s CBD this morning.
Paramedics are treating the motorcyclist after he collided with a car at the intersection of Elizabeth St and William St just after 7am.
Seven members of the climate change activist group were arrested during Monday’s protest.
The group met at Queens Park at 7:30am before starting traffic disruption.
It comes as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk urged protesters to stop blocking Brisbane streets, warning them that someone could get hurt because of their disruptive behaviour.
Ms Palaszczuk said blocking streets was not the way to put a point across, adding that their protests were “actually turning people against their cause”.
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