Community backs Brisbane city councillor Jonathan Sri’s radical style and support for climate activists

Brisbane Greens councillor Jonathan Sri has fired back at criticism of his support of controversial climate activists causing havoc in the city, pointing to the results of a community survey proving to make eye-opening reading.

CONSTITUENTS have backed Greens Councillor Jonathan Sri’s involvement in environmental and social activism and the use of his offices for protest groups to hold meetings.

The Woolloongabba Ward councillor said he had been targeted by a media campaign this week and was surprised with the attention given the number of protests he had organised in the past.

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A community survey conducted by Cr Sri’s office last year showed that more than two thirds of the 1100 residents who responded said they were comfortable with their councillor supporting protests.

Only 7 per cent of respondents said they believed he should not organise protests.

“I acknowledge these surveys aren’t a perfect sample, but results like that combined with the torrent of positive messages we’re receiving indicate that support for my approach is a lot stronger than some commentators might suggest,” Cr Sri said.

Cr Sri said many of the members of groups like Extinction Rebellion were his constituents and he was one of the few councillors to offer his office for meetings to the community.

Greens councillor Jonathan Sri leads a blockade at West End last year, highlighting the need for traffic lights and more pedestrian safety in the area. Picture: Liam Kidston.

“There are dozens of community groups in my Ward advocating for social change that I feel comfortable supporting, whether they are advocating for more funding for health care or pedestrian crossings or whether they are advocating for climate change, I think it is my duty as an elected representative to support them.

“I think it’s a shame that more local councillors don’t support their local community groups in the way that I try to.”

Cr Sri also defended his comments comparing climate change protests to Anzac Day marches.

“I did not compare climate protesters to Anzacs - I simply pointed out that roads are closed for all sorts of reasons, including Anzac Day Parades,” he said.

“My opponents want to spin the comment out of context to distract from the climate emergency, but they’ve caused great offence to a lot of veterans by misreporting what I said.

“People don’t like hearing the uncomfortable truth about climate change and so they are trying to shoot the messenger.

“The inconvenience of delayed traffic is nothing compared to the major disruption climate change will cause to our whole society if we don’t transition away from exporting thermal coal.

“Our political system has been hijacked and manipulated by big business, so I think it’s great that ordinary people are standing up against the government’s negligence.”