Two people have been arrested at a Blue Mountains property after a police car was damaged in a crackdown on climate activists on Sunday.
Police say there were conducting investigations into “planned unauthorised protest activity” at a property in Colo when they were surrounded by a group of people who damaged the tyres of the police vehicle and prevented them from leaving.
Two people were arrested, and the remaining members of the group fled into bushland. Police say they have made further arrests and expect more to follow.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul Dunstan said the group of around 30 people “pushed, shoved and jostled” police as they made their way back to their vehicle, where they “let down the tyres and prevent[ed] police from leaving the area”.
“Those police that were attacked by that group this morning feared for their lives.” he said. “I can assure you that what I saw this morning was violence from this group.”
Climate activists connected to Blockade Australia say the “massive police raid” is “insane overreach” despite the group’s recent blockades of coal ports, bridges and fossil fuel terminals.
Climate activist Zelda Grimshaw said they are just ordinary people attempting to “protect earth’s life support systems”.
“This is insane police overreach,” Grimshaw said.
“No actual crimes have been committed by the climate activists at the camp.
“This level of police repression of the climate movement is unprecedented. We are now suffering multiple impacts of Australia’s continued climate destruction with unprecedented fires, floods, and repression.”
The group is planning to “converge” on Sydney from Monday, June 27 to “blockade the streets of Australia’s most important political and economic centre and cause disruption that cannot be ignored”.
The actions of Blockade Australia prompted NSW Parliament to introduce new laws and penalties in April to discourage protesters who disrupt traffic on bridges and tunnels.
NSW Police said it is not a raid, rather a “police operation”.
The group says about 100 police including a dog squad, helicopters, and ordinary uniformed police surrounded the bush property and were searching it throughout the day.
“This footage [see above] looks pretty chill. It’s not,” the group posted on Facebook.
“We were surrounded at dawn by men in cammo gear, hiding in the bush, with heaps of guns. Then helicopters started buzzing overhead. Police cars and buses came speeding through the neighbourhood, lights and sirens wailing.
“Police dogs and black clad men in body armour and full face helmets came barging into our space. This massive, costly police operation is aimed at preventing climate activists from taking action.
“It is unclear what the legal basis is for the raid… no harm to other people has ever occurred during these climate protests.”
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2022-06-19 04:49:15Z
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