Australia: Two articles on Activist Blockade Raid in Tasmania
Anti-logging activists in Tasmania are set to clash with police at a
protest camp in the Upper Florentine Valley. A total of 22 activists
are at the camp, in a state forest, 100km west of Hobart. The
protesters believe police, who arrived on Monday, may try to dismantle
the previously tolerated two-year-old site. “Five forest defenders are
up tree sits and about five are locked into the road base,” Christo
Mills, a spokesman for the radical anti-logging group Still Wild,
Still Threatened, said. “They won’t leave those positions and they
will have to be taken by police search and rescue.” Mr Mills said 60
police officers in 30 cars had arrived at the camp, including dog
squad officers.
They had set up a caravan command post and had two
buses on hand to transport protesters. Tasmania Police said the state
forest authority, Forestry Tasmania, intended to carry out road works
and some logging in an exclusion zone in the Upper Florentine valley
area on Monday. Police would ensure workers could go about their
lawful business, a police statement said. “People who are not
authorised to be within the exclusion zone will be asked to leave,”
police said. “Police have a duty and an obligation to take action when
a protest or demonstration stops others from going about their lawful
business.” Greens leader Bob Brown had taken to a helicopter to survey
the scene, Greens spokesman Russell Kelly said. Mr Kelly said 30
police officers in 12 cars had gone in convoy to the camp to deal with
22 protesters. “We are anticipating there will be mass arrests out
there and an attempt by police to dismantle the camp,” Mr Kelly said.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/717414/logging-activists-to-clash-with-police
Tasmanian police have enlisted a mining engineer to try and remove a
forest protester from a tunnel in the Upper Florentine Valley. A camp
set up by conservationists almost three years ago was broken up by
police this morning because Forestry Tasmania wants to start logging
in the area. However, five protesters remain in trees and two have
chained themselves inside cars. Another man is in a five metre hole
under a logging road.
He says he is worried for his safety but will
not come out voluntarily. “I’m very nervous to tell you to the truth,
but I won’t come out because of the destruction to the wilderness
that’s just behind us and the inability of the government to actually
save a dying planet,” the protester said.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/12/2464045.htm?section=justin
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