Court Allows Rising Tide Climate Protest in Port of Newcastle
Rising Tide activists paddled 600 watercraft into the Port of Newcastle after a court overturned police efforts to block the coal export protest.
Approximately 600 members of the climate group Rising Tide paddled kayaks and watercraft into the Port of Newcastle on Saturday for the Paddle for the Planet event. The protesters demanded a transition for coal workers and an end to coal exports from the port by 2030, while criticizing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Chris Minns for approving new fossil fuel projects.
The assembly proceeded after Justice Edward Muston of the Supreme Court of New South Wales overturned police efforts to block the event. Justice Muston ruled that the public interest in facilitating political expression through assembly outweighed the safety concerns raised by the police commissioner.
The water-based protest followed a recent ban by the Newcastle City Council, which prohibited Rising Tide from using council-owned land. This ban was supported by Premier Chris Minns and Police Minister Yasmin Catley. While the council sought to distance itself from illegal activities associated with such protests, the Saturday event avoided the land-use ban and resulted in no arrests.
