Image: Image: Christine Lai
A protester was detained by police following a demonstration at the End Climate Destruction, Call out COP 29 rally this morning, Saturday November 16.
The climate rally, organised by grassroots groups including Climate Cop Out, Rising Tide, School Strike for Climate, and Extinction Rebellion (XR), called for greater accountability from the annual Conference of the Parties (COP).
The protest aimed to challenge the COP process, which rotates the presidency among the five recognised UN regions. This year, Azerbaijan has taken on the presidency of the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29), which is currently underway in Baku from November 11 to 22.
Activist detained at COP 29 Protest
Despite the modest turnout, tensions escalated quickly as law enforcement intervened, leading to the detainment of one individual.
Witnesses reported a violent confrontation, with a protester thrown to the ground during the incident.
The protest quickly escalated from a brief scuffle to a swift police crackdown, with several officers surrounding and outnumbering a single protester.
As the officers closed in, other demonstrators shouted, “Get off!” in an attempt to intervene.
Despite their calls, the protester was quickly detained, lifted horizontally by three officers, and forcefully placed into a police van.
Other activists yelled out “too many coppers, not enough justice” as they watched the confrontation unfold.
Climate Activists Slam COP 29 as Greenwashing
City Hub spoke to Rilka, a spokesperson from Climate Cop Out who explained that the protest was part of a four-day event organised by the group to coincide with the annual Conference of the Parties (COP).
The spokesperson emphasised that the COP process, which has been running for three decades, has failed to produce any meaningful change.
“In all that time, we’ve seen absolutely no progress—temperatures continue to rise, and CO2 emissions keep growing,” they said. “The trajectory remains the same.”
The spokesperson criticised COP for being little more than a “greenwashing” exercise, designed to create the illusion of climate action while facilitating the continued growth of destructive industries.
“COP isn’t doing anything to change the system. It’s being used as a front to promote fossil fuel deals and expansion,” they argued.
Referring to last year’s COP28, hosted by the UAE, a major fossil fuel producer, they pointed out how the country leveraged the event to further its own fossil fuel interests.
“The UAE used COP28 to expand their industries, showing just how blatantly these conferences are being used to protect the fossil fuel status quo.”
Rilka further emphasised the role of the police in protecting the interests of the ruling class and corporations, stating, “The police are there to protect business as usual and to keep the CBD running. It’s actually your democratic right to protest but that’s really not the case here.”
They also highlighted the challenges of organising protests in New South Wales, where activists are required to apply for permission from the police.
“We actually did this protest without a form 1… and in NSW, unless you’re just standing on the pavement, anything you do is deemed illegal. It makes it incredibly difficult to have a powerful protest while also seeking approval,” Rilka explained.
Escalating Police Repression Sparks Outrage
In NSW, police repression against protesters has escalated in recent years, particularly in response to climate action movements.
Law enforcement agencies have increasingly employed more aggressive tactics, including the use of force, mass arrests, and restrictive protest laws.
Last year, the NSW Supreme Court found that parts of harsh anti-protest laws passed by the NSW Government were unconstitutional, following a legal challenge by two Knitting Nannas protesters. The challenge argued that the laws infringed on the implied freedom of political communication, a principle protected under the Australian Constitution.
David Mejia-Canales, Senior Lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre emphasised at the time that the right to protest was fundamental to democracy and must be safeguarded.
“While NSW Police may seek to restrict or ban the protest, they must be able to show that these actions are both necessary and proportionate, in line with international human rights and constitutional standards,” Mejia-Canales said.
“Blanket bans on protests are disproportionate. Any limitations must be the least restrictive possible, and based on an individualised assessment of the conduct of participants, not on assumptions or generalisations about the event,” he added.
The state government is also set to introduce new legislation that would expand existing laws banning protesters from blocking roads, bridges, and ports to include railway lines.
Under the proposed changes, demonstrators could face a maximum fine of $22,000 for obstructing a railway, a sharp increase from the current offence provision under the Crimes Act 1900, which does not specify a fine.
The heavy penalties for individuals blocking roads or disrupting public infrastructure have empowered police to crack down on dissent, raising serious concerns about the criminalisation of peaceful protest.
Critics argue that these measures disproportionately target activists and undermine fundamental democratic rights, suppressing the right to protest.
COP 29 is a ‘Cop Out’
Climate Cop Out and other protest groups have also criticised the COP process for falling short on delivering real change.
The Climate COP Out coalition, a group of organisations organizing protests, workshops, and events on Gadigal Country during the annual UN Conference of the Parties (COP), has issued a statement emphasising the need for urgent climate action.
The coalition declared that after 29 years of discussion to “ride the momentum and provide tangible action” there had been no progress, only “empty promises, meaningless action and a deteriorating climate,”
Last year the community came together for 4 days to disrupt “the cop out that was COP28.”
This year, Climate COP Out continues its efforts with a series of events from Thursday, November 14 to Sunday, November 17, focused on holding COP29 accountable and demanding meaningful climate solutions.
Rilka referred to an upcoming protest by Rising Tide in Newcastle, pointing out that despite “ticking all the boxes” for approval, they were still denied permission to protest.
“They’re still going ahead with it, and I think that’s what people need to do. To stand up and keep protesting, even when the police try to intimidate or scare them into stopping. They use ‘safety’ as an excuse to restrict protest, but they don’t have any facts to back that up,” Rilka added.
