Adani targeted again with Siemens protest

Siemens has raised the ire of anti-Adani protesters who are taking to its offices and auctioning off the company’s ‘spine’.

A stop Adani placard is held by a protester during a demonstration outside of Siemens Mobility. Picture: AAP

Anti-coal protesters have once again gone after coal mining company Adani, with protests targeting its signalling partner and an online auction of a “spine”.

Siemens Mobility Australia will build the signalling system for the Carmichael mine’s railway system that will take coal from Adani’s mine to the coast.

Bones mounted on a log with a plaque labelled “Siemens’ Integrity” is on sale for $72.00 by sellers Commons and Meagre, a front set up by activists to target Siemens.

Seimens' “backbone”, auctioned by activists.

Activists say the ‘backbone’ represents Siemens’ brand integrity that is being risked by the actions of the Australian division of the company.

The Australian arm of the German conglomerate, valued at around $98 billion, has been contacted for comment on this latest campaign.

Adani has struggled to get companies to sign on to build its railway, with Hitachi and Alstrom both refusing to take part and there are fears Siemens may be next.

An Adani Mining spokesperson told The Australian they were pleased to be working with Siemens and struck out at the activists.

“These activists do not speak for everybody in the community, and after nine years of working on our project we have repeatedly demonstrated that we will not be intimidated or deterred from delivering on our promises to Queenslanders,” they said.

“Legitimate law-abiding businesses should be able to conduct their day-to-day business free of harassment.”

Climate change protesters are seen during a demonstration outside of Siemens Mobility in Melbourne. Picture: AAP

A spokesperson for the activists behind Commons & Meagre, Nic Dureau, who listed the item on eBay said “Siemens has been an important part of the Australian economy so we can’t understand why they would stake their reputation on the controversial Adani mine.

“We think that the public will value Siemens’ integrity highly because the public want to trust the companies that impact positively on our community.”

Siemens global CEO Joe Kaesar previously indicated on December 15 he was not aware of the Siemens decision to build the signalling system, saying he would “look into the matter” and that Siemens’ view “may or may not change”.

I want to thank everyone for reaching out on the #Adani project in Australia. I was not aware of and take your concerns seriously. I will diligently look into the matter and get back to you soon. @Siemens view & decision may or may not change. But you deserve an answer.

— Joe Kaeser (@JoeKaeser) December 15, 2019

Mr Dureau said: “we ask Joe Kaesar to give us an answer following his tweet in December”.

Market Forces, the shareholder activist group, will be targeting Siemens at its February AGM, while the Australian Conservation Foundation is crowd-funding a billboard outside the company’s Munich headquarters.

Last year Greens leader Richard Di Natale targeted the company, warning the UN Siemens’ decision to support the construction of the railway would be in breach of UN climate initiatives.

Siemens is a signatory to the UN Global Compact, a corporate sustainability initiative.

Members can be expelled for carrying out “system or egregious abuse” of the principles of the pact, including “severe environmental damage”.