Extinction Rebellion activist first to be charged in NZ

Tuesday, 5 November 2019

Extinction Rebellion Ōtautahi activist Dylan Parker and Extinction Rebellion Ōtautahi spokeswoman Sara Campbell speak outside the Christchurch District Court about Parker's arrest.

A protester arrested at a gas conference is understood to be the first member of Extinction Rebellion to be charged in New Zealand.

About 20 members of the Christchurch/Ōtautahi branch of the climate action group gathered outside Christchurch District Court on Tuesday afternoon to support activist Dylan Parker, who was charged with being found without reasonable excuse on Rydges Hotel in Latimer Square.

Parker, 28, from Linwood, was granted a registrar's remand without the case needing to be called in court.

He was remanded on bail to November 19 for the case to be considered for diversion – a police scheme that allows first offenders on less serious charges to avoid a conviction if they meet agreed conditions. The conditions usually involve making amends and apologising.

* 19 people arrested as anti-coal protesters stop coal train in Christchurch**

Parker said he did not think police unfairly targeted him and he held no animosity towards the officers and security at the forum.

Extinction Rebellion Ōtautahi activist Dylan Parker appeared at the Christchurch District Court on Tuesday afternoon.

'I can see why I was targeted. I don't know if they're trying to make an example but it is the first time that it has been just one person taken away from an action like this.

'It was a very swift sort of intervention on their part and I can understand why they would've felt that was necessary as well, it was quite a high energy situation and there was a large police and security presence there.'

He said he stood by his actions.

'The forum itself shouldn't have been allowed to go ahead and I think that we (Extinction Rebellion) needed to be there disrupting it … these [forums] need to be brought to people's attention a lot more.'

Parker would not comment on what legal action he would take next.

'I need to have a proper chat with my lawyer … and sort out how we want to take the case,' he said.

Extinction Rebellion activists protest against a gas conference at Latimer Square, in Christchurch.

Extinction Rebellion Ōtautahi spokeswoman Sara Campbell said while many other members had been arrested at protests around the country, Parker was the first to be charged.

'When one of us is arrested, the story isn't over. We look after each other and we're there until the end,' she said.

Extinction Rebellion Ōtautahi staged a protest last Thursday against the New Zealand Gas Industry Forum, held at the Rydges Hotel on Latimer Square.

Campbell said Parker was part of a group of about 20 to 30 protesters who tried to hang a banner saying 'Gas is not a transition fuel' on a balcony of the building. The protesters managed to extend a ladder on the ground, but Campbell said police intervened before it could be put up.

One of the activists, Dylan Parker, was arrested at the protest and charged by police.

'I'm not sure why Dylan was singled out either because there were a few of us disrupting and trying to get on the building,' she said.

Extinction Rebellion is an international movement which uses civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance to raise awareness of and force action on climate change.

'We use civil disobedience as a tool because nothing else has been working,' Campbell said.

'We're putting ourselves out there and doing things we're not comfortable with and what we'd rather not be doing. But we just feel we're forced into this position because of the climate emergency and political inaction.'

In August, 19 people were arrested and five train services were disrupted when Extinction Rebellion protesters sat on train tracks in Christchurch to send a message about the use of coal. All were released on pre-charge warnings.

Internationally, Extinction Rebellion has raised the profile of climate change issues, including controversially blocking the London tube at rush hour.

Campbell said Parker was appearing in court on a significant day for activists in New Zealand. November 5 marks the anniversary of the 1881 Crown invasion of Parihaka, a village of Taranaki Māori that was at the centre of non-violent protests against land confiscation.