Police have condemned the actions of environmentalists charged during a protest at the Bayswater Power Station in the Upper Hunter over the weekend.
Police have condemned the actions of environmentalists charged during a protest at the Bayswater Power Station in the Upper Hunter over the weekend.
Dozens of protesters cut a fence near the power plant and occupied train tracks for several hours yesterday.
On Saturday, two men chained themselves to a coal conveyor belt and police rescue officers spent three hours removing them from the site.
A total of 69 protesters were charged with a range of offences including entering a rail corridor and resisting police.
Senior Constable Tony Tamplin says the group’s actions are unacceptable.
“We’re quite disappointed with them,” he said.
“We have been working with them for a number of months to allow a peaceful protest.
“To set aside locations for them to be able to protest and at this stage it shows a total lack of any kind of respect for those negotiations.”
Climate Camp spokeswoman Naomi Hogan has defended the actions of those involved.
“It’s another really important component of a campaign around coal,” she said.
“Throughout history we’ve seen movements use civil disobedience to really bring that message into the public eye and to really take action where other actions are proving not to get the results we need.
“It can be one of the tools in our toolkit, if you like.”
The protest was timed to coincide with international climate talks in Mexico.
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