ANZ Protest In Dunedin - As Part Of A Series Of Protests Around The Country
I was outside the ANZ bank on George Street in Dunedin this morning along with around 60 other protesters as part of a series of protests around the country organised by 350 and Climate Liberation Aotearoa in regard to the ANZ being the last bank in the country to still provide banking services for the majority overseas owned Bathurst Mining Company, which wants to expand the Stockton mine (NZ's largest open cast coal mine) onto the unique alpine wetland that is the Denniston Plateau.
The protest was also in support of Rachael Andrews and Tamati Taptiklis, who have been living in coal buckets 80 metres above the ground since last Monday (28th July) to stop the mine from delivering coal to the train which takes it to the coast to be exported to a Japanese coal mine. New Treasury figures show last year the Government spent more than $3 million treating damage caused this single mine - more than it collected in royalties for all coal mining nationwide the same year.
The protesters were outside the bank by 8.15am and successfully prevented the staff from entering until around 8.50am when a wedge of police forced their way through the protesters allowing the staff to enter. The protesters continued to block the door and there were a number of scuffles as police forced protesters to move from the sides of the door to allow a small number of customers to enter. There was one unfortunate incident when a 65 year old lady started to angrily yell at the protesters in front of the doors and then slipped over when the police suddenly pushed forwards but she was not injured. At least one protester was slightly injured when a policeman stood on his shoulder and local activist, James Cockle was arrested about 9.45 for breach of bail. James was arrested at a previous protest at the mine itself and part of his bail conditions were not to be involved in illegal protests but as this was a legal protest. Around 11am the bank decided to close and the majority of the protesters moved off shortly afterwards. In my opinion both the bank and the police were wrong in allowing the bank to open while there were protesters blocking the doors and then shoving people aside to shepherd customers in and while around 20 customers did get into the bank this way it was lucky no-one was seriously injured.
Press release from Climate Liberation Aotearoa -
Hundreds of protestors will again be outside ANZ banks around the country tomorrow, demanding that ANZ stops providing banking services to New Zealand's largest coal miner, Bathurst Resources. The coalition government's fast-track legislation means Bathurst has yet another go at mining coal from the Denniston Plateau, which New Zealanders have fought to protect for many years.
At the same time two Climate Liberation Aotearoa supporters are nearing the end of their second week occupying a coal bucket high above the forest on the Buller Plateau, stopping coal from being transported aerially from Bathurst's Stockton mine.
Meanwhile Bathurst employees have been firing gunshots, letting off detonators and shaking the wire ropes near the occupied coal bucket.
'Hey, ANZ, have you noticed? It's a fricken Climate Emergency!' said spokesperson for Climate Liberation Aotearoa Rosemary Penwarden.
'We're here in solid support of our coal bucket buddies. We can't all be in the coal bucket but we can all make our voices heard outside ANZ.
'We're not about to let an Aussie listed coal miner destroy the Denniston Plateau for the dirtiest fossil fuel on the planet.'
ANZ is the last bank willing to supply banking services to Bathurst Resources. Other banks like BNZ and Kiwibank have committed to stop providing banking services to coal companies by 2030.
'Coal is the world's most polluting fossil fuel. It belongs in the history books. Miners have transferable skills. Instead of belching out carbon pollution on a scale that rivals New Zealand's entire annual emissions for the next 25 years, Bathurst could save the Denniston Plateau, invest in renewable energy instead of coal, and provide jobs for its employees that will help safeguard, not destroy, our future.'
'We're here to tell you, ANZ - stop hanging out with Bathurst. Right now they're acting like cowboys, threatening climate hell - and you're complicit.'
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