Twenty teenagers from Extinction Rebellion staged a sit-in at a major Sydney railway station this morning to protest the Australian government’s action on climate change.
The protesters disrupted the morning commute at Redfern Station, in the Inner City, lying on the ground and impeding travellers access.
Akira, 16, from Wollongong, who did not want to use his real name, has been protesting with Extinction Rebellion for over five months and claims the events are putting pressure on the Scott Morrison government and how the media covers the debate.
“ I think it’s really important, especially for people that are at a young age to get involved because it’s their future,” he told Hatch. “It’s their children’s future, it’s all the generations to comes future. I’m disappointed I didn’t start taking action earlier.”
He added: “Scott Morrison wants to bring through legislation to stop environmental boycotting. It just means they feel threatened.”
Commuter Kim Warner, 49, from Willoughby, said she is supportive of the movement and believes they are drawing an awareness to the climate emergency and ecological collapse by using non-violent, direct action tactics.
“I saw what Extinction Rebellion were doing and was impressed by it,” she said. “We already see that their actions are having an impact and we do hope that government’s are going to tell the truth about the climate emergency and we want them to act on it.”
Kim, who has children of her own, said she is worried about the climate and what it means for their future.
“The people that are getting affected by this, are the ones who are doing the least damage,” she said.
Extinction Rebellion, which say they act in full public view and aim to challenge power, continue to organise non-violent acts of civil disobedience globally.