Police attack Beverley blockade
BY BRONWEN BEECHEY & JIM GREEN
ADELAIDE — Protesters at the Beverley uranium mine in northern South Australia have vowed to continue their blockade of the site, despite violent assaults by police and private security guards.
The blockade began on May 6, when 90 protesters joined Aboriginal traditional owners opposed to the mine, which is situated on Adnyamathanha land near the Flinders Ranges.
On May 7, nine people were arrested for allegedly damaging a drill rig being used to build a gas line from Moomba to the mine. According to the Environmental News Service, the nine were used as hostages, police saying they would be freed only if a roadblock was removed.
Police reinforcements were then bussed in to the mine, including members of the STAR division, a tactical response group.
On May 9, protesters were assaulted by police, who used batons and capsicum spray indiscriminately and allegedly locked protesters in a shipping container. An eleven-year-old girl, the daughter of a local elder, was one of those capsicum sprayed.
Also among those assaulted was a Channel 7 cameraman, who was held by police for several hours before convincing them that he was not a protester. Forty people were arrested, but charges against all but two people have since been dropped.
One of the protesters, Sophia Hanson, described her experience. "I was arrested wrongfully and forcefully. I was sprayed at close range, directly at my face, and locked in a paddy wagon with two other women, one an asthmatic.
"The officer involved said, 'I wonder what would happen if some of this accidentally got in here?'. He then filled the confined space with pepper spray, sealed us inside and left us for close to one hour in direct sun, without fresh air, water or assistance. I have never felt such pain or fear for my health before."
The Police Complaints Authority is investigating the police tactics and protesters have said that they intend to complain to the ombudsman about their treatment.
The police action was also condemned by the Australian Conservation Foundation. The ACF's David Noonan called for a formal inquiry into the role of police and private security guards in the incident.
"The senior police in charge of that site should be called to account for authorising this unnecessary and unacceptable use of violence against innocent young Australians and traditional owners of that site", he said.
Flinders Ranges Environmental Action Collective member Izzy Brown told ABC news that the protest would continue for as long as it took to stop the mine from becoming operational.
The collective can be contacted by phone or fax at (08) 8675 2242.