enviro – DISACCORDS

Victoria: Banner in Solidarity with the Hambi 9 Forest Defenders in Germany

February 5, 2018 – Solidarity from so-called Victoria, Australia, with imprisoned comrades from the Hambach forest occupation in Germany. On January 22nd, cops raided tree houses and barricade structures in the forest, and took 9 people into custody. We took this photo as a small part of the international day of solidarity with the Hambi 9 on February 3rd.

The occupation has for years now been an amazing and inspiring site of resistance against the continued expansion of Europe’s largest coal mine. It is part of a global struggle against ecological destruction brought on by capitalism.

Freedom for eco-defenders everywhere!

‘Coal Bank’: Environmental activists vandalise Commonwealth branches across Australia

21 Aug 2017 – Environmental activists vandalised dozens of Commonwealth Bank branches to protest its investment in coal projects.

The protesters blacked out letters in the bank’s signs so they read ‘Coal Bank’ as part of an ongoing campaign against the financial giant.

Photos of the vandalised branches appeared on social media on Monday tagged with #coalbank with protesters bragging their handiwork.

They claimed 25 branches were hit including Earlwood, Dulwich Hill, Bondi Junction and Paddington in Sydney, as well as in Adelaide and Newcastle.

CBA is a heavy investor in the coal industry, which is worth more than $56 billion in export value last financial year and supports thousands of Australian jobs.

Environmental groups claimed CBA invested $8.86 billion last year and more than $240 billion since 2008, and want it to end immediately.

Environmental groups claimed CBA invested $8.86 billion last year and more than $240 billion since 2008, and want it to end immediately

The pressure is aimed at altering the bank’s upcoming new climate policy, which protesters hope will move its investment towards renewable energy.

‘It claims to support action on climate change and keeping warming to below 2 degrees, but at the same time loans billions of dollars to fossil fuel projects that are polluting our world and making global warming worse,’ a petition site wrote.

CBA billboards were also defaced in Sydney, with protesters editing them to spread anti-coal messages instead of financial ones.

One replaced a family in front of their house with the slogan ‘find the path to your property dream’ with a picture of them in an inflatable raft with the words ‘find your path to higher ground’.

Another put a gas mask on a man with the words ‘every tonne of coal is doing you damage’.

The ongoing campaign is aimed at altering the bank’s upcoming new climate policy, which protesters hope will move its investment towards renewable energy

‘CommBank has the power to help protect the Great Barrier Reef for our kids and grandkids by not investing in destructive coal projects,’ a protest site wrote

‘There is obviously growing community concern about the Commonwealth bank’s hypocrisy on fossil fuel finance,’ it said.

‘Despite their stated support for the goals of the Paris agreement, CommBank lent more money to fossil fuels last year than any of the other big four banks.

The vandalism follows demonstrators in July shutting down every CBA branch in Newcastle to protest against the bank’s funding of the controversial Adani mine.

Dozens chanted anti-Adani slogans while forcing the bank to close their 11 locations for the day.

It continues a bad couple of months for the bank after it was accused of failing to report $77 million in transactions linked to money laundering and terrorism.

Earlier this month it was then revealed criminals allegedly deposited more than $44 million into CBA accounts, which were not reported due to a ‘system error’.

Coolbellup: Roe 8 protests ramp up as activists clash with cops

A protesters is hand-cuffed by police after the fences guarding the site were pushed down

12 Jan – Police have clashed with protesters at the Roe 8 building site, after the fences guarding the area were pushed down, a woman holed up in a tree platform and more people chained themselves to machinery.

Protests ramped up on Thursday morning in Coolbellup, where clearing of bushland is due to continue to make way for the controversial Roe 8 road, which is part of the planned Perth Freight Link.

Journalist Belinda Cameron said a large amount of people had gathered at the site early in the morning, singing and chanting “give it up Colin”.

“Things have really kicked off this morning. When I arrived there were about 1000 people lining the gates that surround the site.”

She said that at about 7am protesters pushed down the fences surrounding the bulldozers at the building site.

“Police were quite outnumbered and several arrests were made,” she said.

“At the moment there are about 200 people still here who performed a sit-in around the equipment.

“There are also people who chained themselves to the machinery.

“I saw several elderly women walking around the site which has been partially cleared – openly crying, seeing what’s happened to their bushland.

“There have also been a few flare-ups between police and protesters and security has been brought into the site with several large German Shepherds now guarding the equipment.”

Reports say a young woman called Jacinta had set up in a platform on a tree, which is tensioned across access tracks. Any clearing work conducted would be dangerous to her safety.

Two other people called Koro and Jan had attached themselves to machinery.

By 10:30am police had made over a dozen arrests, with six people charged for trespassing and resisting arrest.

City of Melville councillor Tim Barling and City of Fremantle councillor Sam Wainwright were among those arrested on Wednesday, with protesters wanting work to stop until the March state election.

More than 100 police officers attended the protest, including plain-clothed detectives, mounted police and the dog squad.

Sydney: Anti-WestConnex protesters clash with police

A man on the ground with police holding his hands.

11 Jan – Protesters have clashed with police in Sydney Park, in the city’s inner-west, as workers begin lopping trees to make way for the construction of the WestConnex interchange.

Some protesters are climbing trees in a bid to disrupt the work at St Peters and several have been forcibly removed by police.

The protesters, who have set up a camp four months ago in Sydney Park, are angry at what they estimate will be the removal of more than 800 trees to make way for the interchange.

Among the protesters was Jennifer Killen who has lived in St Peters for more than 30 years.

“I’ve lived here since before this park was built and it’s made an enormous difference to local people,” she said.

“It’s very distressing to see it destroyed like this.”

Roads Minister Duncan Gay said the trees in Sydney Park were not actually in Sydney Park park at all.

“Those trees are on a road reserve,” he said.

“A reserve dedicated in the 1950s for the widening of Euston Road.”

The extent of the tree removal was revealed for the first time in a report released by WestConnex on Friday afternoon.

The assessment earmarked 827 trees for removal.

But the WestConnex Action Group says a further 200 trees are “at risk from the project unless there are redesigned or careful protection measures taken”.

Continue reading “Sydney: Anti-WestConnex protesters clash with police”

NSW: Recent Anti-Coal Mining actions

Narrabri Coal Mine Shut Down

1 April – Narrabri underground coal mine, operated by Whitehaven, has been shut down this morning with peaceful action. Hannah Grant, 21, and Lily Matchett, 25, have locked on to the coal conveyor, stopping the coal production line and standing up against catastrophic climate change and the destruction of country.

“We have obligations to take care of country and everything within it. If we look after the land it will look after us. Life sustains life,” said Dolly Talbot, Gomeroi Traditional Custodian.

Hannah Grant said of her actions today, “these companies are destroying land to the point of no return and causing catastrophic climate change. Around the world it is people who contribute the least to climate change who will be affected the most. End coal now.”

Continue reading “NSW: Recent Anti-Coal Mining actions”

Blackheath: National Parks depot attacked

via Bite Back: “We claim responsibility for the attack on the National Parks and Wildlife Service on the morning of Thursday 18th September.

NPWS were targeted for their part in the war on wildlife, with an extended history, and a continuing habit of dumping 1080 poison (sodium fluoroacetate) into wild places, all under the public guise of ‘conservation’. Killing and destroying indiscriminately, how many more lives and lands must be destroyed by this groups insane, ecocidal visions and experiments?

To express our outrage, under the cover of night, we entered their depot on Darug/Gundungurra Country (Blackheath, NSW). During our short visit, two vehicles were set upon leaving tyres slashed, windscreens smashed and a little additive into the fuel, just to sweeten the deal.

If you choose to continue to use this land as your dumping ground, you will encounter us again. Our rage will only burn bigger and stronger.

In defense of predators. In defense of wildness.

– ELF”

Indonesia: Chronology of Resistance in Rembang City, Jawa Tengah: Street and community conflict against military & police in struggle against the construction of a cement factory

This is a news report from one of our comrades in Rembang City, Jawa Tengah. Via 325

People in Rembang City in Jawa Tengah, Indonesia make a protest because the company PT. Semen Indonesia will build a factory in Rembang City. Why the farmers and people protest to that capitalism is because Jaringan Masyarakat peduli Pegunungan Kendeng (JMPPK) and Semarang Caver Association [farming and local community groups in Rembang City] found 109 springs, fountains or wells, as well as 49 caves and 4 underground rivers that make a great amount of pure water there.

And this is different news from Analisa Dampak Lingkungan (AMDAL) which is an organisation, or an ‘Non-Government Organisation’ that is a bullshit organisation that belongs to the government and PT. Semen Indonesia. They say they only found 20 fountains.

If PT. Semen Indonesia still make their factory and cement production in Rembang City, it will destroy nature and the water supply in Rembang City, because that water is directly produced from Watuputih mountain.

That’s why we must boycott PT. Semen Indonesia and AMDAL.

Feed the fire… burn baby burn….!!!! Continue reading “Indonesia: Chronology of Resistance in Rembang City, Jawa Tengah: Street and community conflict against military & police in struggle against the construction of a cement factory”

From Sydney to Boggabri: Smash ANZ & Whitehaven Coal

Indymedia:

Through February and March 2014 dozens of ANZ billboards across Sydney were vandalised and numerous ANZ bank facades were painted with slogans denouncing Whitehaven coal and the destruction of Leard state forest while their ATM card slots were glued shut. During the Mardi Gras festivities numerous ANZ “GAYTM’s” were vandalised with paint and in the days following the parade two of the pinkwashed machines on Oxford St were smashed with a metal bar.

ANZ is the primary investor in the Whitehaven coal project, which is currently devastating the once pristine forests in Mauls Creek. Whitehaven is in deep financial straits and is only being propped up on ANZ loans. By specifically and intensively targeting ANZ for their support for this project across the country we can force them to review the profitability of their investment. Continue reading “From Sydney to Boggabri: Smash ANZ & Whitehaven Coal”

Victoria: suspected anti-logging sabotage

18 March: Police are investigating a suspected sabotage on logging machinery in Toolangi last week, with the owner saying a serious accident could have been moments away.

On Thursday 13 March, Robin McKinnell and his team started up their machinery in a logging coupe in Toolangi, shortly before one of the machines – a skidder – broke down. After checking all of the machines, the group realised the fuel tank had been opened and filled with water, while attempts had been made to open the fuel tanks of other machines.

The damage from the breakdown, which resulted in four hours of lost work, is estimated to be about $4000. The incident was reported to Kinglake Police and Leading Senior Constable Paul Roberts said this was the latest in a monthly series of incidents, which included oil contamination in another logging coupe. Continue reading “Victoria: suspected anti-logging sabotage”

From Sydney to Nantes, resistance & sabotage

Indymedia: On the evening of the 22nd of Feburary we vandalised the local headquarters of VINCI and their subsidiary company ‘Advitam’ in the Seven Hills industrial zone in western Sydney.
Some windows were cracked, and the slogans: “AGAINST VINCI AND ITS WORLD” &
“THE ZAD IS EVERYWHERE” were painted.

This small act was made in response to a call for actions in solidarity with the monumental struggle in Notre-Dame-des-Landes, France, against an airport which Vinci has been contracted to build. Continue reading “From Sydney to Nantes, resistance & sabotage”