Activist shuts down coal operations at Port of Newcastle
Anti-coal activists have shut down ports in three states
Coal trains and trucks could not drop freight at major ports in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland this morning after climate activists launched coordinated protests to block key bridges and roads.
Blockade Australia started the action with a woman who dangled herself from a rail bridge near the Kooragang Island terminals at the Port Of Newcastle at 7am, launching protests that followed in Brisbane and Melbourne.
“Blockade Australia is back,” the group said in a social media post, once all three port blocks were enacted.
Suspended in a harness connected to a bridge near the Kooragang Island terminals, the woman at the Port of Newcastle was carrying a large chain and said she will not come down willingly.
With the third largest reserves of coal in the world, Australia is the second largest coal exporter in the world.
The Port of Newcastle is viewed as the largest coal port in the world, exporting an estimated 136 million tonnes of coal last year.
The woman was arrested following a police operation where officers attached to Newcastle City Police District, with assistance from Police Rescue, removed the woman safely from the structure.
She has been taken to Waratah Police Station and inquiries into the incident continue.
