Yep, I got arrested trying to block a coal ship in the world’s largest coal port and I’m proud as fuck, give all your love to the protest organisers. I’ve talked about it a ton over in this thread (and a few others in similar communities). I was joined by a handful of other people, including a student doctor who is in this photo but hard to see, she’s on my right in the shade. She’s so damn brave and a huge inspiration.
This took place at the People’s Blockade, an annual “protestival” organised by a group called Rising Tide.
I’m the (misgendered 😡) 27 year old in this article.
170 people then set a new record for the largest civil disobedience action in Australian history the following day, they’re all incredibly brave people who have had enough.
We fought the government in court and won the right to protest against the fossil fuel corporations who are burning our children’s futures. We also fight to secure the future jobs of the workers in these industries, demanding a 78% tax on current fossil fuel projects to help them in the transition to a renewable future.
It’s been a long few days, I’ve just arrived home about half an hour ago. Goodnight.
I’m an ordinary person, who less than a year ago sat around on a couch and cried about how powerless I was about all of this. Never forget that we give up our power by thinking we don’t have any.
There is so much you can do, and you don’t have to go anywhere close to the extremes I’m willing to.
You’re amazing! It feels both incredibly scary and exhilarating to get arrested but know you’re right and they’re wrong. I don’t want to dox myself, but I’ve been arrested and charged for climate civil disobedience before, and I wish you nothing but success and support in your future endeavors!
Hell yeah, way to go comrade!
It was a pretty wild experience, but I consider myself extremely privileged to have had a relatively easy experience and very minor charge. Those who took a stand on Sunday were far braver than me, we had a number of children, great grandparents and even an actual coal miner who where arrested for demanding their future back.
Absolute legend.
Out of interest, have you contacted the ABC to see if they can issue a correction? Or if not, would you like someone random to give them an anonymous tip-off about their error?
I did try to see if I could get it changed but I couldn’t find the old “send a message to the writer” thing I recalled being on the old website. Plus I’ve been living on a pretty old phone I didn’t mind loosing and it was a huge pain to use.
If you want to, feel free. One of the other reasons I didn’t is because it’s the same in all the other media companies’ stories, and it was more than one so I really couldn’t be bothered. At this point it’s not really news anyone is reading, Sunday was way more important and interesting. Up next we’ll have the protest moving to federal parliament in Canberra so that’s hopefully where everyone will be looking over the next few days.
Cringe
What have you done?
Got an engineering degree, and work in the power industry.
What did OP getting arrested accomplish beyond ruining their chance to get a good job in the future?
I didn’t commit a violent act or anything, my job is fine. And hey, if it’s not and my current employer lets me go, I’ll be fine, there are plenty of places I could apply to without issues. But thankyou for your concern, friend.
I was very well prepared for this and new exactly what I was risking.
We had a planned set of goals, and most where achieved. We had hoped to actually block the coal ship from departing even for a short time, but we didn’t really manage that.
If you weren’t doing anything stupid, then why did you and two other people get arrested out of the hundreds of people there? It sounds like you were putting people in danger so they had to arrest you to prevent something bad from happening.
I’ll ask honestly, do you think that everything the government does is for the good and the safety of the people? The police, especially so?
I think there is a right and wrong way to make change happen, and bragging about being arrested is childish.
Civil disobedience gave us our ability to exist as trans people. Marsha P. Johnson was arrested over 100 times just for being trans in public. Laws do not dictate ethics.
I say this sincerely Kit, and without an ounce of joy. You’re being an asshole on the internet. If that’s not who you want to be, I recommend talking to somebody irl and taking some time off social media.
The other possibilities are that you’re a conservative or just fed up with seeing people try to save us from damaging the climate further. in which case, there’s nothing I can say that would help.
Regardless of whether or not you consider what I said, I hope you have a good holiday season.
And to the protester who just got home. You’re a fuckin real one. Thanks for working towards a better future, and I hope you enjoy some well earned rest. 👊🫡
What would be a right way, then? Civil disobedience has been a vital tool in past social movements, and I read this post more as a call to action, coupled with Sasha processing the day’s events, not bragging.
