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?
I’m not comfortable with the actions targeting someone at their home. Maybe if they just stood in the street and held signs? But they never had any intention of doing that. I’m picturing protesters turning up at my place and terrorising my family. My kids wouldn’t understand why strangers were yelling outside and attacking the house.
The office is fair game. But the collateral damage risk for residential protests is too high. Even if the target lives alone, you don’t know who is living next door to your target and their emotional state.
The collateral damage from mining and fossil fuels has already done more damage to the planet than anything else since that meteor dropped in a few million years ago. I’m not worried about some kids getting scared. She knows what that company does, she doesn’t have to work there, she obviously enjoys the rewards that come with the job but now there’s some (incredibly tiny) risk she’s upset.
I guess the moral of the story is don’t do bad stuff and no one will come and protest at your house.
These people are used to being able to hide from the consequences of their actions behind well worded contracts and connections in the federal and state governments. She just found out how unpleasant it is when someone breaks the rules, which you could say large corporations have been doing for decades.