‘We want to disrupt the entire city’: Climate protesters to swarm the CBD

Image: Quinn Rooney

Swarm protests plan to disrupt hundreds of thousands of people in the CBD tonight, and Melburnians are being warned to get used to it, with a slew of other protests planned in coming weeks.

Football-goers attending tonight’s MCG blockbuster, and those on their way home, should expect delays as climate activist group, Extinction Rebellion, conducts rolling protests from 5pm.

Kiara Parker, 3AW reporter, said the turnout at the State Library at 5pm was far smaller than expected.

“This could be a bit of a fizzer. There’s not many people here!,” she told 3AW’s Tom Elliott.

“There’s less than 100 people here.

“I can see more police than protesters!”

Protest coordinator Natalie Acreman said the group “want to disrupt the entire city”.

“There are a few things, I think, that are a bit more important than being ten minutes late to wherever you’re going,” she told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell.

The protests kick off at the State Library and will involve blockades and traffic stoppages, but the group are keeping their demonstration locations and tactics under wraps.

“We want to be the most disruptive possible, which means keeping a few things up our sleeve,” Ms Acreman said.

Many other demonstrations are also planned by the climate activist group in coming months.

Upcoming protests:

September 11: CBD protest

September 14: Blockade of Princes Bridge and Swanston Street

September 20: Global climate strike, various locations

October 7: Spring Rebellion, a series of rolling disruptions, kicks off

October 28: Protesters to blockade the International Mining and Resource Conference at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

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