Tree-felling protesters uprooted at Adelaide Park Lands campsite
Protesters being forced to shut down their makeshift campsite have vowed that their “tents may go” but the fight to save trees in the park lands will not.
A group of Adelaide Park Lands development protesters have been moved out of a makeshift campsite in Pakapakanthi/Park 16 where the future MotoGP street circuit is expected to be built.
In a social media statement on Thursday morning, the protest group – which calls itself the ‘Gum Leaf Guild’ – said they had received a “48-hour move-on notice” from the City of Adelaide on Wednesday.
“We are disappointed, however we understand the extraordinarily difficult position the City of Adelaide finds itself in,” the group said.
“The political pressure surrounding the future role and authority of council has been impossible to ignore. So we will comply with the notice.”
It follows warnings from Adelaide City Council Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith earlier this week saying it was not appropriate to camp in the park lands and that council would “not support that activity”.
You might like
A City of Adelaide spokesperson told InDaily that council staff members visited the site on Wednesday and had “positive discussions with the Gum Leaf Guild who accepted camping within the Adelaide Park Lands is not allowed”.
“We thank them for this, and they have indicated they will no longer be camping on the site from tomorrow,” the spokesperson said.
The short-lived site was decked out with tents, a temporary toilet, a sink, water, security cameras and other facilities, while nearby residents and fellow ‘Stop the Chop’ protesters offered to clean dishes for the group and bring over supplies, food and water.
The ‘Gum Leaf Guild’ encampment included former Adelaide Citizen of the Year Mij Tanith, who was dubbed a “ragtag extremist” by Premier Peter Malinauskas.
Stay informed, daily
Tanith is the self-described “granny” who protested against the controversial North Adelaide Golf Course development earlier this year and was arrested for being unlawfully on premises. She pleaded guilty to those charges but was let off without conviction in early July.
Speaking with InDaily, Tanith, who has been living alongside other protesters in the eastern park lands campsite since last Saturday, said the group would be “moving on with some kind of sadness”.
“We have established a presence, and this manifestation is going to end tomorrow. But we’re not ending. We in the Gum Leaf Guild who set this up will continue to grow,” Tanith said.
“This is such a great camp, but we are so optimistic about being able to grow this movement because it just continues to grow and grow.”
Despite being kicked out of the park lands site, the group has promised it would not disappear from protesting major developments.
“Democracy is not something that happens once every four years at a ballot box. It also happens when ordinary people gather, ask questions, demand transparency, scrutinise decisions and peacefully dissent,” the group said on Facebook.
“The tents may go but the stewardship will not. We will adapt.
“We will remain peaceful. We will respect the council. We will keep gathering, watching, caring, questioning, and protecting, and we will find other ways.”
The group will return to the Pakapakanthi/Park 16 site on Sunday afternoon without tents to host a picnic that will “fill the Olive Grove with people, music and community and send this Government a message”.
Want to see more stories from InDaily SA in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily SA as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily SA". That's it.
