Two protesters have been handcuffed and removed from Brisbane’s Victoria Park after police, firefighters and Brisbane City Council officers entered a protest camp standing in opposition to a planned $3.6 billion Olympic stadium development.
Campers challenged officials over the visit, and questioned why no appointment had been made, while one protester threatened media and staff members with physical violence if they did not leave.
Campers challenged officials over the visit. (ABC News: Will Murray)
Council officers instructed protesters to pack up their belongings and questioned them about dogs and campfires.
Protesters have been given until 2pm to remove their tents from the site.
Tensions have flared at Brisbane’s Victoria Park after police entered a protest camp. (ABC News: Lottie Twyford)
After delivering the message, police and council staff withdrew while about a dozen officers remained stationed on a road within the park.
Ownership of the land is due to be transferred to the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority (GIICA) on Monday, with the Queensland state government vowing that construction work will begin immediately.
Site works are due to begin on Monday, but Indigenous protesters say they will not leave the camp. (ABC News: Curtis Rodda)
Long-running opposition due to cultural concerns
The confrontation comes as opposition continues to Brisbane’s planned Olympic stadium at Victoria Park, a centrepiece of preparations for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The group is awaiting a federal decision on cultural heritage protection for the park. (ABC News: Curtis Rodda)
The protest group, which says it will not leave, is awaiting a federal government decision on an application for cultural heritage protection for the inner-city park, where historic Aboriginal gathering and camping is recognised in its Queensland Heritage Register listing.
The state government has sought to clear the way for the project by exempting it from a range of heritage, environmental and planning laws last year, and recently converted Victoria Park to freehold land.