Queensland Police ready for mass protest arrests in Brisbane next week
Queensland Police are ready for mass arrests next week as Extinction Rebellion protesters threaten to invade Brisbane’s CBD, including a sit-in occupation of one of the inner-city’s busiest bridges.
QLD News
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QUEENSLAND Police have set up a major operation to deal with a week of protests from group Extinction Rebellion, warning the public there could be impacts to Brisbane’s CBD.
Police today said they were planning for mass arrests.
Acting Chief Superintendent Tony Fleming today said police should be attending robberies and domestic violence incidents but were forced to divert resources for the protests.
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Police have also had to launch an operation codenamed Romeo Arrowhead, with a command centre because they say the protest group does not talk to police about their plans.
Tactics used by the protest groups have included tripods, barrels with concrete in them, lock-on devices, sit-ins, swarming across intersections, sit-ins and marches, ropes off bridges, gluing to the road and interfering with businesses, Supt Fleming said.
He said it was difficult to help the group conduct a lawful protest because they did not talk about plans, compared to an organised and peaceful climate protest last month which involved 15,000 people.
The group had a right to express an opinion but didn’t have a right to force views on others and obstruct them from going about their lives, he said.
“We know on August 6 there were 73 arrests, if that’s necessary to open up the city then that’s what we will do,” Supt Fleming said.
He said police arrested 128 people on 167 charges for protests in Brisbane’s CBD this year, most of which were Extinction Rebellion.
The protests are part of a global weekof action for “international rebellion week” from October 7-11 aiming to shut down cities around the world to urge governmentsto take swift radical climate action.
In Brisbane, Extinction Rebellion SEQ’s Facebook page says protesters plan to march from Southbank into Brisbane CBD on Monday morning.
Protests will be held in the CBD each morning from 7.30am to disrupt traffic and conclude on Friday morning with a sit-in occupation of William Jolly Bridge.
Originally published as Queensland Police ready for mass protest arrests in Brisbane next week