Heavy-handed police intervention in a protest in Northern NSW has drawn strong condemnation from NSW Upper House Greens MP Ian Cohen.
“The Wytaliba community between Glen Innes and Grafton are protesting about Forests NSW trashing a safety buffer zone of 940 hectares of forest within the Diehard Creek water catchment, said Mr Cohen
“These people are fighting attempts to poison their water supply,” he added
According to protest organiser Caroline Joseph, police turned up this afternoon and escorted a truckload of loggers through the blockade.
“This was clearly nothing more than a pointless show of strength - the loggers immediately turned around and walked back out again,” she said.
“They then fined two protesters. When they subsequently tried to arrest them as well fifteen other protesters demanded they be arrested too.
“The police then left as their vehicle could not carry that many people. We expect them to return tomorrow.
“Surely Minister Macdonald can fill his timber quota without having to destroy our communities’ water supply,” she added.
Mr Cohen demanded that Minister Macdonald put a stop to the logging.
“This is not only an environmental disaster, it is also decimating a community. I find it intruiging that these events are occurring only hours after the Minister boarded a plane for New Zealand,” concluded Mr Cohen.
For video footage of the incident, contact Caroline Joseph on 0409 996 423
For comment from the blockade itself call Badja Sparks (one of the men fined) on 0427709686
Ian Cohen can be contacted on 0409 989 466
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