Scott Morrison is Setting the Stage to Jail Environmental Activists – a thread on the potential repression of environmental protesters after responses to #BlockadeIMARC and how the Government is further criminalising protest #IMARC #IMARC2019 @blockadeIMARC19

On Friday, Scott Morrison deliberately began a process of linking environmental activists involved with the recent #BlockadeIMARC protests in Melbourne to committing “economic sabotage”

Morrison delivered a speech to the Qld Resource Council claiming that environmental groups organising secondary boycotts directed towards damaging industries, such as coal and coal seam gas, constituted “economic sabotage” and was somehow limiting the freedom of individuals.

(Obviously a lot a can be written about the the defence of people choosing to undertake a boycott, a fundamental matter of free speech itself, especially seen through recent criminalisation of BDS in US etc. but this thread is about how Morrison obfuscated this tactic with IMARC)

On the same day, Morrison went on 3AW and during a conversation about organised secondary boycotts, he deliberately drew a connection to the Blockade IMARC protests in Melbourne, claiming that these “anarchist groups” are causing economic sabotage to Australian businesses.

This begins the process of linking environmental activists to the 2018 Espionage Bill, potentially landing them up to 20 years in jail if the action causes an impact on Aust. “political, military or economic relations with another country” https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/jun/26/espionage-bill-could-make-some-protests-criminal-acts-getup-says

Legal advice from 2018 stipulated the Govt. could use Espionage Bill to charge protesters if they prevented or limited access to infrastructure. Considering that Morrison has linked a blockade of a conference to "economic sabotage" it's clear how they wish to frame these actions

None of the 70+ people arrested at this week’s Blockade IMARC will face any charges this significant. However, Morrison is deliberately setting the tone for future, more radical actions to be further repressed and the ongoing authoritarian free-fall continues

It's essential to push back against this now. If we allow the primary discourse to revolve around how activists and organisers are contributing "economic harm" to Australia, the Govt. will happily scapegoat a number of activities to quell any larger social movement

It's time to get organised to build all forms of social, political, economic and environmental justice. There can't be justice of any kind on stolen land, so first and foremost support local, grassroots Aboriginal groups...

WAR - https://www.facebook.com/WARcollective/ 
Djap Wurrung - https://au.gofundme.com/f/support-towards-djap-wurrung-embassy
Sisters Inside - https://au.gofundme.com/f/bfvnvt-freethepeople

Remember to support comrades arrested this week here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-activists-arrested-at-mining-conference
Support the individual who was hospitalised because of police brutality here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/medical-bills-for-cami?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

And join the protest next Friday, 8th Nov. @ 5:30pm Bourke St Mall affirming our rights to protest and pushing back against the police state that continues to primarily brutalise Aboriginal people, and people of colour, as well as protest movements.
https://www.facebook.com/events/789066408222221/