Story Bridge protest: Activists could still face court bid to block protest if talks with Border Force, police fail
A meeting of refugee rights protesters with Australian Border Force and Queensland Police today could prevent a new government court bid to stop a mass bridge sit-in on Saturday.
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A meeting of refugee rights protesters with Australian Border Force and Queensland Police today could prevent a new government court bid to stop a mass bridge sit-in on Saturday.
Last Saturday, Justice Peter Applegarth made orders that prevented a sit-in of thousands of people on Brisbane’s Story Bridge in support of refugees detained in a Kangaroo Point motel.
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Supreme Court Justice Peter Applegarth today set down a two-hour hearing for Thursday, in case the Attorney-General proceeds with a new injunction application.
Counsel for the Attorney-General, Gim Del Villar, QC, reserved the right to make a new application, if protesters did not make an application for a protest under the Peaceful Assembly Act.
Late on Friday protesters said the August 8 sit-in would be postponed until next Saturday, August 15.
However, the Attorney-General still applied for an injunction and after a two-hour hearing on Saturday, Justice Applegarth made orders effectively preventing that day’s sit-in.
Two people named as protest organisers, Jarrah Kershaw and Laura Harland, were ordered not to attend or encourage others to attend that day’s planned bridge sit-in.
They also were ordered not to block the public’s right of way and to spread the message on the Refugee Action Collective’s website and Facebook that the event was not going ahead.
Counsel for Mr Kershaw and Ms Harland, Greg Barns SC, today told Justice Applegarth that Mr Kershaw and Ms Harland were not the protest organisers.
Mr Barns said the pair had appeared on Channel Nine news on Friday night as spokespeople, but were incorrectly labelled organisers by the tv station.
“They are not in a position to be able to bind others,” Mr Barns said.
He said there were broad groups involved in the protest and there was a “collective decision”.
Mr Barns said although Mr Kershaw and Ms Harland were not organisers, they had complied with the order to post messages on Facebook and a website about the court injunction.
Mr Barns said he had received a text from one individual about a proposed meeting with Border Force and police today, to discuss any future proposed protest or sit-in.
Justice Applegarth said he hoped there would not be a need for a new hearing, but he made orders about the filing of material by all parties before a possible hearing on Thursday.
Justice Applegarth Today removed his order from Saturday, that Mr Kershaw and Ms Harland were not to interfere with the public’s right of way by blocking pedestrian or vehicle access on or near the Story Bridge.
Brisbane City Councillor Jonathan Sri, who was a respondent to the Attorney-General’s original injunction application, was not required to appear in court today.
Cr Sri was served a notice to appear in court on Saturday by police who waded through mangroves to get to his houseboat at 1am that day.
Appearing in court by phone on Saturday, Cr Sri said he was not a organiser of the proposed sit-in that day and Justice Applegarth did not include him in his orders.
After today’s hearing, Mr Kershaw and Ms Harland spoke outside, confirming they were not protest organisers.
“We are simply standing in solidarity for the men who have been locked up for more than seven years,” Ms Harland said.
A small group of protesters stood in front of the court building, holding up a banner with the words: “History Is Watching”.
“The Australian Border Force has been locking people up for seven years in detention,” Ms Harland said.
“The detention is meant to be administrative. They are in punitive detention, where they cannot even leave the complex.
“They need to be released now and until they are released they need to be granted free movement outside of the complex.”