Australian Protesters Launch “People’s Blockade” at World’s Top Coal Port

A climate activist group has begun a large-scale “protestival” aimed at temporarily shutting down exports at the Port of Newcastle, Australia, the world’s largest coal terminal. 

Rising Tide, a kayak-focused climate protest group, has organized a 10-day activist gathering at Newcastle, complete with live music performances, activist trainings and an organized lobbying excursion to Canberra. The group expects 10,000 people to attend, and it has announced plans for a “people’s blockade” to shut the port’s coal export operations for 50 hours over Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The government of New South Wales initially sought to impose a four-day exclusion zone to keep the port waterway open, with steep fines for noncompliance. Rising Tide challenged the measure in the NSW Supreme Court at the last minute, and the judge ruled that the state did not have statutory authority to issue a restriction. This gave Rising Tide an opening to operate without boundary restrictions on the water. “The plain wording of the [regulation] is not such that it can prohibit the special event that it purports to be regulating,” ruled Justice Sarah McNaughton, noting that her ruling was not a blank check for activists to engage in unlawful behavior. 

Rising Tide organizer Alexa Stuart, who brought the suit, told the court that it was “likely” that some protesters would still break the law for purposes of civil disobedience. 

The state police force has warned protesters to stay off the water, and has promised to make arrests if any activists fail to comply with orders to ensure the safety of navigation. An early blockade attempt Thursday evening was not successful, and police kept  about one dozen activist boats out of the way as the bulker Eternal Bliss entered the harbor. 

Last year, more than 100 people were charged for staying on the water past a police deadline at the Newcastle protest. Rising Tide has been organizing events at the harbor since 2016.