Activists, leaders condemn Woodside protest tactics as Premier reprimands ABC over coverage
www.abc.net.au
Academic, political and business leaders have weighed in on the prevalence of "unacceptable" protest tactics, after four activists were outside the family home of Woodside's CEO.

What are your thoughts on this? I think I’m somewhat on the fence. I firmly believe in the right to protest and that the only effective protests are those that are truly disruptive, but I can also understand the argument that people have the right to feel safe in their homes. Protest rights have been slowly eroded over time in most Australian jurisdictions and so an act like this is sometimes what’s needed to affect change. There’s also the point to be made that the harm that people cause through business decisions doesn’t end at 5PM on a weekday, and we should have the right to protest individuals and their specific actions as well as the companies that they represent.

Thoughts?

  • Sir Gareth
    16•1 year ago

    The thrust of this article seemed top be: “everyone deserves to feel safe in their own home”.

    I disagree. I want war criminals to feel unsafe everywhere, especially their homes.

    Obviously I’m being hyperbolic here, but what about chevron execs who gave Ecuadorians cancer and then got their lawyer prosecuted.

    The line between war criminal and oil baron is so blurred you will need corrective lenses.

    • InstigateOP
      6•1 year ago

      This is a great point. There’s a spectrum of shitty human behaviour all the way from genocide through to playing loud music on a train, and I don’t think anyone agrees that genocidal people deserve to feel safe in their homes. The question then becomes, where do we draw the line on that spectrum? I think that’s a harder one to answer.