What Has Blockade Australia Planned During Their 'Week Of Chaos'?

Further disruptions will face the Sydney CBD over the next few days following Day 1 of Blockade Australia’s “Resist Climate Inaction” week, which saw protestors march through the city and block major roadways.

The “week of action” is set to cause chaos in Sydney as it aims to implement “social, political and economic disruption” in order to “force the urgent broad-scale change necessary for survival”. 

The climate activist organisation describes itself as a group committed to “coordinated response that aims to develop a culture of effective resistance through strategic direct action.” 

The group has utilised social media platforms to garner participants, publishing daily information on where protests will be taking place.

As such, it is currently unknown exactly what the group has planned for the remainder of the week, however it is likely to take a similar form to protests seen today in Sydney’s CBD.

Traffic was blocked by protestors who marched down city streets with wheelie bins, chanting and banging drums whilst holding signs which read “Australia’s Climate Destruction Ends Here - #Disrupt Sydney”. 

On Monday a 22 year-old resident of Lismore, the northeastern New South Wales city, which was recently ravaged by floodwaters, blockaded the Harbour Tunnel in Sydney and locked herself in her car until she was arrested by police, delaying city-bound traffic on the Harbour Tunnel for up to an hour. 

The woman and ten other protestors who blocked traffic in busy intersections of Sydney’s CBD were arrested by New South Wales Police. 

Mali,22, is locked onto a car blocking the Harbour tunnel in North Sydney. pic.twitter.com/OLvmnDL7Hk

— Blockade Australia (@BlockadeAus) June 26, 2022

One motorist ignored traffic controllers and drove through the crowd of protestors, ramming multiple people in the process. Police inquiries are underway regarding this incident, however no injuries have been recorded at this time. 

Heavy penalties could be faced by participants in these protests, following the New South Wales Government introduction of legislation in April which punishes illegal protestors who block public roads, tunnels, bridges or railways with up to $22,000 in fines and/or a maximum sentence of two years imprisonment. 

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet spoke out against the protestors, saying that “these people are bl**y idiots, and they will face the full force of the law”.

Despite this, the group has promised more disruption is set to come this week.