<
https://theconversation.com/40-years-ago-protesters-were-celebrated-for-saving-the-franklin-river-today-they-could-be-jailed-for-months-191579>
"The 1982 campaign to stop the building of Tasmania’s Franklin River dam was a
defining moment in the history of Australia’s social movements. Those events
are now being recounted in the documentary
Franklin, screening throughout the
country.
Franklin tells how thousands of activists stood up in front of police and
bulldozers and, through a persistent yet peaceful opposition, eventually forced
the Tasmanian government to abandon the project. It was one of Australia’s most
famous campaigns of civil disobedience.
Sadly, the story contrasts starkly with current political discourse.
Environmental activists in Australia today are often depicted as public enemy
number one. In the past few years, a swathe of anti-protest legislation has
been enacted at both state and federal levels, imposing extremely tough
sentences on those falling foul of the law.
A citizen trying to emulate the Franklin dam protesters today would likely pay
a very high price. This silencing of dissent means an important tool for
environmental advocacy is closed – and both nature and democracy will suffer."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
