The New South Wales government has imposed an exclusion zone around Newcastle harbour, making it off limits to the public for four days in what climate protesters say is an unprecedented move from politicians “trying to bully and intimidate Newcastle locals protesting … by banning us from our own beaches.”
Earlier this month, NSW police won a legal challenge in their attempt to stop Rising Tide activists paddling into the port on kayaks and rafts in late November to stop coal exports from leaving for 50 hours in what was to be one of the biggest climate protests in Australia’s history.
