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More than 600 climate protesters have taken to the water at one of the world's biggest coal-export ports, after an Australian court rejected a police attempt to stop their demonstration.
Hundreds of kayakers and other small vessels gathered in Newcastle Harbour in New South Wales on Saturday, while hundreds more joined the protest from the shore. The hour-long demonstration, organised by climate campaign group Rising Tide, called for an end to coal exports and greater action on climate change.
No arrests were made, according to NSW Police and the organisers.
The protest went ahead after the Supreme Court of New South Wales rejected a police application to stop the gathering, with Justice Edward Muston ruling on Friday that the “public interest in the facilitation of political expression through assembly” outweighed the police objections, according to ABC News.
Police had argued that the demonstration could put participants at risk, particularly if kayaks collided or capsized. Rising Tide said it had made safety arrangements, including requiring mandatory life jackets and deploying a team to assist participants on the water.
Rising Tide organiser Anne Hodgson told the court the event would be family-friendly and that there would be no civil disobedience.