Antinuclear

Five women aged between 50- and 75-years-old have been forcibly dragged from the road and arrested by police this morning at a Santos coal seam gas development near Narrabri, in north west New South Wales.

The protestors are part of the ‘Climate Guardians’, a group of theatrical activists who assume the guise of angles to create awareness of the need to keep fossil fuels in the ground.

“After being spoken to by Police, five women were arrested after allegedly failing to comply with directions,” a spokesperson for New South Wales Police said.

“They were taken to Narrabri Police Station and are currently assisting with inquiries. Another woman allegedly threatened Police, before fleeing, and inquiries are continuing.”

The women’s demonstration comes as part of an ongoing civil disobedience campaign targeting Santos’ Leewood Water Treatment Facility, which is the first major stage of construction for a planned 850-well gas field in the Pilliga Forest……..

The New South Wales Greens Justice Spokesperson, David Shoebridge said the force used appeared to be “entirely unjustified in the circumstances, and a dangerous precedent for protests in NSW”.

Despite these events, protestors involved in the ‘Pilliga Push’ blockade camp have continued to engage in civil disobedience on an almost daily basis.

In a statement this morning, the group said there have been 24 arrests, 27 people charged, and numerous other infringements. In addition, the statement said 11 people had risked arrest by locking themselves to machinery or gates, but have avoided charges.

This morning, the five ‘Climate Guardians’ added to that cohort, holding a red ribbon across the road leading up to key Santos’ infrastructure.

The ribbon had been carried by the ‘Climate Guardians’ at a protest in Paris, as part of the civil society response to the landmark United Nations climate change conference held in the French capital in December……..

In April a local group opposed to CSG, People for the Plains, will challenge the legality of the environmental approval for Santos’ Leewood Water Treatment Facility in the Land and Environment Court. https://newmatilda.com/2016/02/09/climate-angels-santos-csg/