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More than 100 arrested during anti-coal protest in Newcastle Harbour as shipping movements paused

In short:

NSW Police have arrested 138 people for allegedly defying directions not to enter the shipping channel in Newcastle Harbour.

The Port Authority has temporarily paused shipping movements due to safety concerns.

What's next:

A police operation on the harbour is continuing.

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26 comments

  • The article has been updated to reflect the new count of 170 protestors arrested!!!!

    We're getting near to doubling last year's 109 (I think?)

    Edit to add some new info I've received:

    • 5000 people in attendance
    • 2840 news articles
    • 170 arrests is the largest civil disobedience action in Australian history
    • Flotilla was on the water for 50+ hours

    I won't be providing details but we had a number of children arrested. We'd all like to highlight the fact that this is a fight for our survival, and that everyday Aussies are turning up en masse to build a better tomorrow. If anyone is considering getting involved with local activism and wants guidance, please reach out at any time, I'm always happy to help. No need to be arrested or anything, there is so much you can do within the law and so much support to be provided to those who break the law, including numerous roles you might not think about.

      • 170 arrests is the largest civil disobedience action in Australian history

      By what measure? Just by the number of arrests?

      • Yeah, number of arrests. Civil disobedience means disobeying laws and orders. Not necessarily the largest protest in Australia as that would be by number of participants. There's probably been larger protests for Palestine, the weekly Melbourne one regularly attracts around ~3000 from what I've heard

        • The largest by numbers was this year's Invasion Day rally in Melbourne, the organisers of which invited Palestinian protestors in an act of solidarity. There were so many Palestinian flags flying. One numbskull near me went to fly an Israeli flag and nearly got his arse beat, but the cops had him out of there so fast.

          • Oh awesome, thankyou Norah!!!

            That was actually my first ever protest, and it was overwhelmingly huge.

            • Oh hey, maybe I saw you there Sasha! :3

              It was a little overwhelming, thankfully I had my trusty ear muffs with me. Not a bad one for your first! I brought a friend who had never been to a protest before either.

              • Good chance you did actually, I was a pay the rent collector and watched the entire thing go past and the ran ahead a few times to try and double up our intake 😆

                I hate that we'll have to do it again in January, but I hope I can do even more this time.

        • Do you have a list of like biggest acts of civil disobedience by number of participants by any chance?

          • I'm afraid I don't, I've just been passing on information I've received from the organisers. I had a quick look online but couldn't see any lists. I'd do more research for you, but I'm currently trying to get home 😅

            Most lists I saw on Wikipedia are about protests for specific causes like COVID lockdowns or the Vietnam war.

            If I'm able to get a source from the organisers for this claim I'll pass it along to you (unless I forget which is very possible).

            Edit: you could probably go through this and work it out but that wouldn't be much fun tbh

      • Counting arrests is an interesting measure. One one hand, it's a loose indicator of how disobedient it was and the perceived threat of it. Not all protests are effective even if they're unlawful.

        On the other hand, a well-planned action will often tactically minimise arrests, because they make further actions more difficult (cops often target key figures intentionally. Some friends say they saw photos of public-facing organisers on the walls of the police station they were processed at the Botany ZIM protests. Many aren't allowed to go anywhere near the port terminals anymore.).

        But for a mass protest, most people won't be getting arrested (and often we want people not willing to risk arrest to be welcome and secure in participating), there is an element of safety in numbers sometimes. So there's more to civil disobedience than arrest count, but the arrest count is a real indicator of the bourgeoisie and their level of concern. So-called 'eco-terrorism' hits wallets directly, so you'll see the guards much more aggressive there than during poloce-sanctioned anti-war marches.

26 comments