TRANSCIPT

‘Climate change protesters halt Melbourne CBD traffic calling for action’

ANCHOR

Hello, my name is Jaydon Monson and welcome to DScribe.

Thousands of people swarmed in front of Parliament House on Friday – organized by the globally connected protest group, founded last year, who call themselves ‘Extinction Rebellion’.

Activists of all ages then marched through Melbourne CBD streets in order to stage a “die-in”, which specifically involved protesters laying down in CBD streets in an attempt to depict the extinction of the human race and strategically disrupt traffic.

Their demand being aggressive environmental action towards the climate crisis from the recently re-elected coalition government – specifically net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.

The event coincided with similar protests that were held in a Global Climate Strike that took place on the same day across over 100 countries including the UK, the US, France and Germany. I switch now to my coverage on the scene including a few activists’ reasons for what got them out there.

REPORTER

The Group gathered at 12 noon today and have planned speeches and chants until 1PM. The group will march to the corner of Bourke and Swanson Street in order to perform the die-in. The die-in will commence at 1:30 here, then the group will continue walking to ‘Carlton Gardens’.

ANDREW GEORGE (XR Co-organizer)

Nobody’s paying attention to the United Nations, nobody’s reading any scientific papers. They’re ignoring what we’re starring in the face – which is potential human extinction.

So you can’t really go much further than that, a complete lack of regard for life itself, it’s insane!

Robyn Mae Daly (Protester)

We’re here to take action, after the election we’re all feeling very raw and emotional and powerless. But I think it’s important that we all transmute that disappointment and sadness into anger and then transmute that into action – by staying educated.

So we’re all here to call attention to climate change. I think in Victoria we’re all fairly Labor leading so it feels like preaching to the quire in the streets but if we get enough people out here we can actually make change even if we’re not in Queensland and we’re not in Canberra.

Alan Cuthbertson (XR Co-organizer)

We want action on climate change, it’s clear the government’s not going to give us that leadership.

So it’s up to the people of Australia to come out onto the streets and take action, direct action, like Gandhi did and everyone else.

So that we can show them and we can keep fighting until we do something for our grandchildren.

ANCHOR

Media were quick to point out the group’s 10 day protest in London last month. In which over 1000 Extinction Rebellion co-organizers and activists were arrested for manifesting strategic disorder with the use of extreme, non-violent tactics – such as gluing themselves to the Waterloo Bridge and barricading major roads.

However the protests in Melbourne remained civil, Extinction Rebellion co-organizers and activists co-operated with the Victorian Police Force throughout the rally.

With a Victorian Police spokes-person telling nine.com.au later on Friday that “there were no incidents or breaches of peace at the rally” (https://www.9news.com.au/national/news-melbourne-climate-rally-extinction-rebellion-emergency-environment/b60e1761-1edf-4c75-96ec-4e34c39c41b7).

Thank you for your time this has been Jaydon Monson on DScribe.