Friday night protest planned for ‘maximum disruption’ of footy fans, commuters
Activists have blocked off busy Melbourne CBD intersections and halted trams as part of a climate change demonstration that organisers promised would be “like a flashmob with a cause”.
VIC News
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A group of climate protesters have hung banners over railings at Melbourne Central next to the gold clock.
They shouted chants such as “Stop Adani” and “Climate Action Now’ as curious shoppers and commuters watched on.
The activists then blocked off the Flinders and Elizabeth street intersection for about 20 minutes as angry drivers beeped their horns.
Several footy fans were among the passengers on the number 70 and 75 trams that were stopped and had to detour through Flinders St station.
Two children in Geelong jerseys joined in clapping along with the chants and yelled out “Go Cats”.
The group of protesters blocked off the intersection at Bourke and Swanston streets at 6pm.
They were ringed in by police as trams came to a halt.
They stood in the middle of the road and then sat down as they sang songs and chanted.
The intersection was closed for about 20 minutes before the group left and the backlogged trams were able to get through.
Before they left, the protesters chanted “we’ll be back”.
The group has four events planned in the next two months, including a plan to occupy Carlton Gardens.
Earlier about 50 activists, mostly young people, met at the front of the State Library for a briefing where they were told the demonstration would be “like a flashmob with a cause”.
Organiser Natalie Acreman told the crowd the exact plans were being kept “under wraps” but that people should seek coordinators’ instructions on where to go.
The crowd then split into smaller groups ahead of the planned rolling protest.
Ms Acreman said they were aiming to cause “major disruptions” but did not want to tell media the locations they were targeting at the risk of alerting police.
By 5.30pm the group divided into different teams and left the State Library.
A large police presence lined Swanston St, with dozens of police officers, including several on horseback and on bicycles.
A small group of officers were monitoring the crowd at Melbourne Central.
Police earlier warned footy fans heading to the MCG tonight to allow extra time for security checks and delays caused as climate change protesters “swarm” the city.
Activists from the Extinction Rebellion have promised “maximum disruption, maximum fun” when they block busy intersections and rove the CBD from 5pm.
Police from the Operations Response Unit, Highway Patrol, Mounted Branch and Search and Rescue will be on hand to control and disperse crowds, as 95,000 fans make their way to the Collingwood and Geelong clash.
“They will see enhanced security overlay,” North West Metro Commander Tim Hansen said.
“There will be extra checking, wanding doing on.
“Allow yourself the time to get there a bit earlier than you normally would.”
Officers will be out in force before and after the game.
They will be stationed around the stadium, as well as at transport hubs including Flinders St, Jolimont and Richmond stations.
“You will see extra numbers of police deployed to make sure you feel safe and you are safe,” Commander Hansen said.
He also confirmed people on Victoria Police’s persons of interest register would be receiving home visits or calls to warn them about behaviour at games.
Persons of interest register home visits and calls.
Protest co-ordinator Natalie Acreman described the timing with footy finals as a “beautiful coincidence” for maximum impact.
“Extraordinary times call for extraordinary messages,” the 23-year-old said.
“The world is on fire and we need real action now.
“People will be frustrated to be late but I’d be more frustrated not to have a planet to live on.”
Monash environmental science student Ebony Bain Perkins added: “We can’t continue to act normally and civilly. It’s time to take action.”
Organisers have told protesters to take inspiration from Hong Kong activists who act “like water” to avoid arrest, as roving rallies hit multiple “targets” amid tonight’s peak.
“The plan is to disrupt business as usual, to bring attention to the climate crisis,” Ms Acreman said.
Police are expecting “unsupervised young people” to be among those rallying, and have urged parents to speak to their kids about their involvement and personal safety.
They also promised a “firm response” to anyone disrupting the peace, causing conflict or inciting violence.
“We want the community to be aware that everyone has a right to protest peacefully without impacting the rest of the community,” Victoria Police said in a statement.
“Police will not tolerate violent or obscene behaviour and offenders will be held to account for these unlawful actions.”
Tonight’s rally comes ahead of widespread “Spring Rebellion” protests planned to run fortnightly across the season, starting at the intersection of Flinders and Swanston streets next Friday.
A Melbourne City Council spokesman encouraged protesters to “minimise disruption to other users of the city”.
“We respect people’s democratic right to protest, and work closely Victoria Police when notified of a protest or rally to ensure people can safely express their opinions,” a council spokesman said.
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Police, authorised officers and staff station will monitoring key city trains stations, including through Metro’s network of CCTV camera, and redirect trams if roads are blocked.
A Department of Transport spokesman urged people to check the Public Transport Victoria website before heading into the CBD this afternoon.
“The Department of Transport is working with transport operators and Victoria Police to manage any impact to passengers,” he said.
A number of streets will be closed to traffic surrounding the MCG, including Brunton Ave, Jolimont St and Jolimont Terrace from 5.30pm to 11.20pm and Wellington Pde for 30 minutes post-match.
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