Forgive us our trespasses
MARIA RAE
February 19, 2007 12:00am
SEARING heat and the threat of arrest didn't stop about 50 activists walking into the Weld Valley exclusion zone yesterday.
Between the quarry walls on Eddy Rd, police warned the protesters that
to go further would prompt a charge of trespass by summons.
Equipped with video cameras, police intend to identify trespassers from the footage at a later time.
But the group of peaceful protesters continued walking the logging road
with their brightly coloured banners, dogs and mountain bikes.
Fresh from escaping a trespass conviction on Friday, Huon Valley
Environment Centre spokesman Adam Burling advised the group of their
legal rights before they set off.
"Each person has to be told individually that it is an exclusion zone," he said.
He said it was up to the individual whether they chose to cross the line and risk being arrested.
A convoy of about 20 cars followed Mr Burling's beat-up station wagon
through the dusty back roads of the Huon to be greeted with a boom gate
at the start of the exclusion zone.
Forestry Tasmania senior supervisor Terry Ware was manning the gate in expectation of the protesters.
He told the group to "take care in there" as they passed the gate.
Attempts were made to keep the hot and sweaty protesters together on
the 1km stretch up the logging road to the quarry, where four police
officers were waiting.
The group then assembled and started chants of "Not for sale -- our Weld" before walking towards the police.
Sgt Chris Ellisson asked the crowd to stop so he could issue an order to leave or face prosecution.
He was momentarily caught up in one of the banners during his announcement.
The 10km walk-in to the newest logging coupe is yet another tactic in the battle to halt logging in the Weld Valley forests.
An exclusion zone blocking off the Weld Valley has done little to curb the efforts of environmentalists to protect the area.
About 25 protesters have been arrested in the exclusion zone while
clashes between contractors and environmentalists are frequent.
One story told at the walk-in was about contractors who had poured
honey -- in order to attract march flies -- on a protester who had
chained himself to forest equipment.
Last Friday Forestry Tasmania tried to stop the protest from being
advertised with a legal injunction that failed in the Supreme Court.
The injunction aimed to stop the Huon Valley Environment Centre and six
of its members from emailing, texting, handing out pamphlets or posting
information on the internet about the walk-in.
Centre co-founder Jenny Weber said the good turn-out yesterday defied those attempts to stifle protest.
She also said the action was symbolic of community ownership.
"A walk-in is a sign where people of the community can walk into the exclusion zone and say `This is our forest'," she said.
Ms Weber said there had been accelerated logging activity in the area during recent weeks.
"It's machinery on overdrive," she said.
On the practice of charging protesters by summons, Ms Weber said it was problematic.
"It's a good intimidation tactic," she said.
University students Ben Jackson and Abby Burrows came from the US three years ago to live in Tasmania.
The pair said they were willing to enter the exclusion zone and risk arrest.
"I get a lot of strength from the other people here," Mr Jackson said.
He said he was there to challenge Forestry Tasmania.
"The battles here are quite similar to the battles in the States," Mr Jackson said.
But he was surprised logging could take place so close to a World Heritage Area.
Retiree Elizabeth Periy said she was not a regular at protest marches but felt the need to voice her concerns.
"I'm here because they're our forests," she said.
"I have been to the Weld and I know how magnificent it is."
She said the Wielangta case had established that it was now illegal to log in the Weld Valley.
"It breaks my heart," she said.
Weld protest Weld protest
previous image Image 2 of 2next image
Sgt Chris Ellisson orders protesters walking into the Weld Valley exclusion zone to leave the area or face prosecution.
A police officer, lower right, records the warning to protesters at the
start of the exclusion zone. Police will identify trespassers from the
footage to issue summonses.
News menu
From The Mercury