Thousands of climate activists took part in disruptive actions across Australia as part of Extinction Rebellion’s (XR) Spring Rebellion, which began on October 7.
According to XR, the aim of the internationally coordinated Week of Rebellion was to “peacefully occupy the centres of power and shut them down” and demand governments “tell the truth about our climate and ecological emergency” and “act now”.
Protests kicked off in Sydney on October 7 with an occupation of a busy intersection in front of Central Station, at which 38 people were arrested. Murawari and Budjiti man and Water For Rivers activist Uncle Bruce Shillingsworth told climate rebels present: “We’re here to fight to the end.”
The next day a colourful Bee-mergency action was held in Sydney's Hyde Park. There was a large police presence at the protest and several people were arrested for participating in acts of non-violent civil disobedience.
XR rebels in Melbourne occupied a major CBD intersection on October 8, shutting it down for more than two hours. Activists chanted, sang and danced in the rain before police moved in and arrested about 50 people.
A “Civil Discobedience” through the streets of Melbourne was held on October 9, with climate rebels disrupting various intersections as they danced for climate action.
That same day, a student-initiated XR protest broke into swarms before converging on three Melbourne CBD intersections and shutting them down for several minutes.
The swarm protest sought to raise the issues of: the military’s contribution to climate change; people becoming displaced due to climate change and Australia’s refugee policy; and solidarity with Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests.
XR activists also disrupted morning traffic outside Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station on October 10. Several climate activists locked arms in the middle of an intersection while others sat in the road and refused to move. They used the action to demand a halt to biodiversity loss and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2025.
The following day, XR activists held a protest outside mining giant BHP's office in Melbourne. The action was used as a dress rehearsal for a planned blockade of the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC), which will be held at Melbourne's Convention & Exhibition Centre on October 28-31.
In Perth, an AC/DC-themed climate protest was organised by the Perth Climate Action Team and Extinction Rebellion WA outside state parliament on October 9. Protesters also walked to the Woodside building to demand fossil fuel corporations stop blocking action on the climate crisis and end their “Dirty Deals” with government that are putting us on a “Highway to Hell”.
In Brisbane, XR South East Queensland rallied on October 7. Then, on October 10, XR activists mourned the species that have become extinct and the people that have died as a result of climate change at a funeral procession outside state government offices on October 10.
Several activists were later arrested after gluing themselves to the road in protest at government inaction on climate change.
About 500 people participated in a protest organised by Extinction Rebellion ACT, in Canberra on October 7.
Red Rebels led the protest march, followed by a funeral procession for the dying Earth, with Soul Defender, a large ex-military troop carrier painted in psychedelic purple-and-pink camouflage, blasting funky tunes out of a huge onboard sound system
Protesters then proceeded to occupy Commonwealth Avenue and stage a die-in to highlight the government’s wilful ignorance of the climate crisis.
Green Left photographers from around the country took the photos.
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