NSW Police have dropped charges against the remaining climate protestors from Rising Tide’s 2024 People’s Blockade of Newcastle Harbour – the site of the world’s largest coal port.
Climate Defenders Australia, which represented 117 of the arrestees, had repeatedly petitioned Police to withdraw anti-protest charges after they failed to prosecute test cases, and were required to pay $73,000 in costs.
Another 100 arrestees remain charged from the 2025 Rising Tide protest – the backlog for police and courts is another measure of the failure of Premier Chris Minns’ draconian anti-protest laws.
Climate protests to continue despite 170 charged in Newcastle ‘protestival’
Michael West established Michael West Media in 2016 to focus on journalism of high public interest, particularly the rising power of corporations over democracy. West was formerly a journalist and editor with Fairfax newspapers, a columnist for News Corp and even, once, a stockbroker.