Blockade Australia protest: Sydney CBD climate activists close Harbour Tunnel

Hundreds of Blockade Australia protesters descend on Sydney, obstructing peak-hour traffic, with Premier Dominic Perrottet calling them ‘bloody idiots’ as police make arrests | WATCH

Blockade Australia said ‘Mali’ had blocked the Sydney Harbour Tunnel.

The Sydney Harbour Tunnel has been closed during protests by climate activists, as hundreds of people obstructed morning peak hour traffic as they marched through the city’s CBD.

The southbound entrance to Sydney Harbour’s Tunnel was blocked by a white car on Monday morning, after the female driver from Lismore, in the state’s Northern Rivers region, locked herself to the steering wheel by the neck.

The woman, identified as Mali by Blockade Australia, live-streamed her protest.

Police arrested 11 people as a result of the protests.

People are using what they can find to disrupt Australia's operations. #BlockadeAustralia#Climatecrisis#auspolpic.twitter.com/fNKXAKqQqN

— Blockade Australia (@BlockadeAus) June 26, 2022

“This society is refusing to address the climate crisis. Carrying on as normal is climate denial in practice, and it is in all of our interests to disrupt that,” the woman said according to The Daily Telegraph.

“I’ve watched much devastation with two one-in-100-year floods. This is climate change. I cannot stay silent anymore. I cannot be complacent anymore. The colony of Australia, this destructive colony system landed here, hellbent on spreading exploitative practices all over the earth,” she told viewers.

Premier blasts ‘bloody idiots’

Premier Dominic Perrottet has weighed in on the protest action by writing into 2GB radio station.

“These people are bloody idiots, and they will face the full force of the law,” the Premier said.

The NSW Parliament introduced new laws and penalties in April to discourage protesters who disrupt traffic on bridges and tunnels.

Police label protests ‘criminal’

NSW Police has a message for climate activists who caused chaos for Monday morning commuters in Sydney – expect a knock on your door.

“The behaviour of this group was nothing short of criminal activity,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul Dunstan told reporters on Monday afternoon.

He described the protesters’ behaviour as “incredibly dangerous, unacceptable” and “violent”.

There have been no reports of injuries at this stage.

NSW Police trailed the parade of protesters on foot and via a convoy of vehicles with sirens wailing, cleaning up after the protesters in an attempt to clear roads.

Police and protesters in Sydney on Monday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Protesters could be fined up to $22,000 and/or jailed for a maximum of two years for protesting illegally on public roads, rail lines, tunnels, bridges and industrial estates.

The new offences currently only apply to ports in Newcastle, Port Kembla and Port Botany, but the government has said it intends to add more facilities.

The protest action comes a week after police raided a camp in Colo Valley, north of Sydney, where about 40 climate activists were found preparing for the week-long disruption.

Police collar a protester in Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Part of a series of week-long Blockade Australia protests planned, environmental protesters marched down Kent Street shortly after 8am.

Despite being met by a heavy police presence, protesters left debris across the city’s streets, in a bid to disrupt morning commuters.

About 8.30am (27/06/22), police were called to the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, following reports a woman had locked herself to a vehicle blocking citybound lanes of the causing significant disruptions. She has been arrested and the vehicle is in the process of being removed.

— NSW Police Force (@nswpolice) June 26, 2022

Blockade Australia protests in Sydney. Picture: ABC News

Videos showed protesters dragging crowd-control fencing, bins and other debris onto the middle of CBD roads.

Last week the direct action group said they wanted to “blockade the streets of Australia’s most important political and economic centre and cause disruption that cannot be ignored”.

On Monday morning, Blockade Australia tweeted: “#ResistClimateDestruction has kicked off with a crowd disrupting Sydney CBD’s streets. People are using what they can find to disrupt Australia’s operations.”

Protesters move barricades onto a road as they march through Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

NSW Transport Minister David Elliott blasted the group as “selfish”.

“They need to re-evaluate how they’re going to get their message out, because it ain’t working with these demonstrations,” he told 2GB on Monday.

Blockade Australia said last week they wanted to “blockade the streets of Australia’s most important political and economic centre and cause disruption that cannot be ignored”.

Additional reporting: NCA Newswire

Police move in on a protester. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper