28 Nov 2007
Media Release

*Forestry Tasmania Act as Big Brother Tracking Tasmania's Peaceful Protestors Activity*

“Forestry Tasmania continues to lock the community out of the forests, while the logging destruction continues.  Huon Valley Environment Centre is concerned that Forestry Tasmania are acting as big Brother tracking protestors and their vehicles,” Huon Valley Environment Centre's  Jenny Weber said.

“The lock down of our forests continues as Forestry Tasmania have again used their excessive powers to remove conservationists from public forest, despite their intention to peacefully highlight the imminent destruction of wilderness forests in the Weld Valley,” Jenny Weber said.

“Forest Activists were found in the threatened forests of the Weld Valley on the weekend, they were there to halt a new bridge which is proposed over the wild Weld River. Despite threats of arrest and the impounding of equipment, forest defenders are intending to continue to use all non violent means possible to defend the ancient forests,” Jenny Weber said.

“There are seven exclusion zones in Tasmania's southern forests, making it an offence for media, bushwalkers and protestors alike to enter these areas. This is done to hide the destruction of  high conservation forests which is occurring behind locked gates. These lock downs of state forests, criminalise people from acting as witnesses to the loss of our old growth forests to the chainswas and bulldozers. Forest Activists have been left with no choice but to defy these arhcaic laws
and continue to protest behind these locked gates,” Jenny Weber  said.