Knitting Nannas are still puzzling over police actions at the International Mining and Resources Conference at Darling Harbour on Friday 4 November. One of the Sydney Nannas struggled to make sense of what’s going on in the following short video.
Nannas had followed media reports about visits by police to over 30 climate activists and warnings not to protest at the gathering of the world’s fossil fuel corporations. Nannas joined with other groups calling out this intimidation as an attack on our democratic right to protest.
The group Wage Peace Disrupt War called a rally outside the conference in spite of the police harassment, the NSW anti-protest laws and the strict regulation of public gatherings on the foreshore.
Nannas decided to hold a knit-in outside the conference as part of the rally. Scary, but not compared to our fears about the dangers of expanding gas and coal mining. It was an easy decision to make.
Then to our surprise at the last minute the police told the organisers they would allow the protest to go ahead.
The scene outside the conference on Friday morning came as a shock. There were a couple of dozen protesters with banners, some drummers and singers. Also literally hundreds of police in different uniforms, some on horseback. Riot Squad in the background. Barricades too.
This was an expensive demonstration to international fossil fuel miners of Australia’s commitment to stand firm with them and to be part of the greenwashing action.
Knitting Nannas will keep standing up for climate justice in whatever ways we can. Public protests will remain an important tool in our craft box.