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https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/nov/28/australia-protestival-newcastle-rising-tide-music-climate-change>
"It has become an annual pilgrimage. Each November, thousands of protesters
flock to the New South Wales city of Newcastle for an annual climate protest –
and standoff with police – as a flotilla of kayaks and sailboats head out to
block the world’s largest coal port.
Hundreds of people set up camp at Foreshore Park on Friday in preparation for
the Rising Tide people’s blockade on Newcastle Harbour. The crowd was expected
to swell to 7,000 over the weekend as protesters arrived from across the
country for what organisers said had become a national gathering for
Australians frustrated by a lack of government urgency to address the climate
crisis.
Protesters who join the flotilla face breaching an exclusion zone that the New
South Wales state government has imposed over most of the harbour from Friday
until 7am Monday. At last year’s blockade, 173 protesters were arrested, with
133 of them charged. Four were found not guilty earlier this year and court
matters for the remaining 129 are still pending.
Organisers are calling for three things: an end to new coal developments, a
fair transition for workers and communities affected by the shift away from
fossil fuels, and a 78% tax on fossil fuel export profits, a figure influenced
by Norway’s taxes on its oil and gas sector.
“I think people are terrified about the impacts of climate change and we’re
already starting to feel those impacts,” organiser Alexa Stuart says. “They’re
angry our government isn’t doing more and is still continuing to approve new
coal and gas projects.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
