Thousands in Brisbane join nationwide Stop Adani rallies
[is this all for China?]
Thousands of Queenslanders have turned out to protest against the proposed Adani megamine, decrying the controversial project as a once-in-a-generation threat to the environment.
Scores of red-clad protesters turned out at Brisbane's Crosby Park on Saturday afternoon to create a human sign spelling out "Stop Adani" as part of a National Day of Action.
Major rallies also took place at Bondi Beach, Port Douglas and Carlton North, with dozens of events held across each state and territory.
Jeff Hansen, national director of Sea Shepherd Australia, said his organisation was typically known for defending whale populations' feeding grounds in the Antarctic.
"However, they face an even bigger threat in the form of the Adani coal mine," he said.
He said "huge numbers" of coal ships would move through the Great Barrier Reef if the mine goes ahead, posing a serious threat to the whales' birthing grounds.
"Not to mention the burning of fossil fuels is having a catastrophic impact on Antarctica and the krill numbers, the whales' food," he added.
While there has been ongoing opposition by some groups to the Indian mining giant's project, Mathilde Gordon said she only joined the Stop Adani campaign in recent weeks and encouraged others to do the same.
"This is one of the biggest campaigns my generation will ever see in the next coming decades," she said.
Asked about the nationwide rallies, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said such protests were part of living in a democracy.
"At the end of the day, we have the toughest environmental conditions attached to that mine," she told reporters on Saturday.
The national rallies come as new polling shows more than half of Australians oppose the central Queensland mine.
Two-thirds of people also believe the Queensland government should veto a proposed $1 billion Commonwealth loan for a rail line to the Carmichael mine.
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