‘Lone woman’ blocks logging near Mt Field in post-COVID protest

A ‘lone woman’ who temporarily blocked logging near Mount Field as she camped atop a sky-scraping structure has been charged not for protesting – but for a different offence.

A PROTESTER atop a skyscraping forestry structure who temporarily blocked logging near Mount Field before she was dramatically extracted by crane has been charged with breaching COVID-19 laws.

Protester Anna Bursek, who spent two nights on a porta-ledge in a bid to protect wedge-tailed eagle habitats, was arrested yesterday afternoon and charged with trespass and failure to comply with the direction of a police officer.

But in what is understood to be the first use of the new COVID-19 legislation against activists, Ms Bursek and three ground support protesters were also charged with failure to comply with a direction from the Director of Public Health for non-essential travel beyond 30km of their homes.

Forest protester Sarah Van Est was arrested and charged with trespass at Mt Field after police brought in steel cutters to remove her from logging machinery that she'd chained her hands in, inside a metal pipe. Picture: BOB BROWN FOUNDATION

The arrests followed that of fellow activist Sarah Van Est, who police charged with trespass on Wednesday, after using steel cutters to remove her from a logging machine she had chained herself to.

The Bob Brown Foundation, in its first action since COVID-19 restrictions were implemented in March, began a new protest near Mount Field on Tuesday to fight logging it claims is destroying the habitat of endangered wedge-tailed eagles with nests in adjacent forests.

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The protesters said they followed social distancing requirements with only 10 protesters.

Bob Brown said the fact “a massive cable-logging machine had been stopped at Mount Field by a lone woman” showed the “courage of ordinary people” who hoped to protect wild places.

In the first forest protests since the coronavirus lockdowns, Anna Bursek stopped cable-logging logging at Mt Field by camping overnight on a porta-ledge. She was removed by a crane on Thursday afternoon, arrested and charged with trespass. Picture: BOB BROWN FOUNDATION

Three of the protesters charged yesterday claimed police arrested them without warning them to leave first.

Lisa Searle, one of the people giving ground support to Ms Bursek, said the group was “peacefully protesting” and preparing to leave when police “suddenly and unexpectedly” arrested them.

She said they had also been asked to leave on Wednesday and had complied with police directions.