Blockade Australia vow to cause mass traffic chaos in Sydney CBD next week

An extreme protest group, which has shut down roads and rails with unauthorised protests earlier this year, has vowed to carry out mass chaos in the Sydney CBD next week.

Extreme climate activists who have vowed to cause traffic chaos in Sydney’s CBD have amassed a legal war chest of more than $75,000 ahead of the action, as police urged city workers to report any suspicious activity they see next week.

Blockade Australia, who rose to public attention in a series of protests shutting down roads and train lines on key freight and transport routes over the last year, pledged to carry out plans starting on Monday in a bizarre press conference including comparisons to Martin Luther King.

In a rare public appearance by the shadowy group, figurehead Zelda Grimshaw said they would push ahead with protest action despite a police raid on a camp the group was using ahead of the protests resulting in eight arrests.

“To paraphrase Martin Luther King, when climate destruction becomes laws, resistance becomes duty,” she said.

She claimed up to 10,000 people could flood the CBD next week – although a similar, highly-publicised pledge to shut down the Sydney Harbour Bridge earlier this year by fellow protest group Fireproof Australia only resulted in four people showing up.

Zelda Grimshaw (left) with supporters representing Blockade Australia leave a press conference at Redfern Park on Thursday. Picture: David Swift

It came after police urged members of the public to report any suspicious activity they see in the city centre next week.

NSW Police Detective Superintendent Paul Dunstan also revealed the raid on a Blockade Australia camp at Colo had resulted in concrete-filled barrels and devices used to lock protesters onto vehicles and structures being seized.

Zelda Grimshaw representing Blockade Australia protesters speak to media at Redfern Park today responding to a police announcement that illegal protesters will be arrested. Picture: David Swift

“Police seized a number of items from their property, which we believe the organisation known as Blockade Australia were going to use to block our roadways and railway lines in and around the Sydney metropolitan region,” he said.

“Thankfully, those items are now less however it appears this group is hell bent on the disruption of Sydney.

“They continue to advertise and promote their upcoming week of action.”

It comes as The Daily Telegraph can reveal the group has used an online donation platform to amass a war chest of at least $75,000 ahead of this week.

Det Supt Dunstan said increased penalties for blocking unlawful protests on roads introduced earlier this year was a strong enough deterrent, despite the group vowing to continue their actions.

“We‘re very confident that people conducting illegal activity will be dealt with according to law and that includes those recently released offences which will be applied in this case,” he said.