Three brave women locked themselves to machinery disrupting work on the Adani railway corridor

This March we’ve watched thousands of people stand up in solidarity with International Women’s Day and StandUp4Justice marches across the continent, which took place in over 35 different towns and cities. Women bravely speaking up for the things that are happening in parliament house – and being joined by thousands of supporters sharing their own stories of abuse in solidarity and support. 

The absolute incapacity of this system to care for human life and nature continues to be laid bare and women are rising up like never before. 

We would like to dedicate this newsletter to all the often-unseen protectors holding down resistance movements across these lands.

On the Adani frontlines last week, three brave women locked themselves to machinery disrupting work on the Adani railway corridor on Jangga country. These three friends acknowledge that the impacts of mining are not gender neutral. The mining industry is a male-dominated industry – a big boys club – with research showing us that women in the mining towns of the Bowen Basin are at a substantial social and economic disadvantage to men. 

Three women have disrupted construction work on Adani’s Carmichael Rail Corridor in central Queensland this morning, saying the mine’s climate effects will cause more frequent and extreme natural disasters like those we are already experiencing.

Zianna Fuad locked herself to Adani’s concrete batching plant, while Teeka Latif and Susan Doyle immobilised the company’s flash-butt welder. A group of supporters also blocked traffic moving up and down the rail corridor. The group have expressed serious concerns about the safety practices of Adani’s contractors after a work ute drove into one woman and machinery was turned on while Ms Fuad was locked to it.

The three women come from the New South Wales mid north coast. The area, like much of the east coast, is currently enduring extreme rainfall and severe floods.

Ms Fuad said “a year ago I watched the forest I live in go up in flames, now the Coffs Coast is being hit by disaster floods. I saw ‘permanently wet’ forests burn for the first time ever. Unprecedented weather events now seem to be regular occurrences, we are living in the world climate scientists have warned us about for decades. It’s criminal that the Carmichael coal mine is being built when climate change has already started to wreak havoc across this continent. The mine must stop here with us.

“I’ve travelled all this way to stop Adani’s work because we have to scale up our action to meet the urgency of these times. Protest has changed the world over and over, toppled regimes, and won rights across the globe. But we need every person who is able to join the climate frontline and protect life on this planet.”

All around the world it’s women – indigenous, of colour, LGBTQI+, immigrants, with disabilities and workers – that are disproportionately impacted by extractivism and mining before cis-men. They must be given the right to say “no”! Yet there’s been no free, prior and informed consent to this mine and it still goes ahead. 

There’s no environmental justice without gender justice. Mining is patriarchy manifest!

At last week’s action, Zianna Fuad, Teeka Latif and Susan Doyle stopped work for over 9 hours,  disputing all work at the concrete batching plant and immobilising the company’s new flash-butt welder. A group of supporters also blocked traffic moving up and down the rail corridor.

The male cops gave patronising sermons of wanting to protect the women’s safety who were locked on. Next minute they removed the umbrella that was shading Zianna and left her exposed in the piercing sun for hours. While the police van said “caring for the community” it’s always explicitly clear at actions that the police are part of the boys club protecting corporate profit over people and the planet.

Spanning the generations, with 48 years between Teeka and Susan – Women, non-binary and trans people have been on the frontlines taking action and holding down the often-invisible work against extractive industries across the continent. Using our own bodies to protect country and dismantle oppression is a beautifully radical act, and those who are able must use their privilege to show active dissent to violence for all those who can not. 

The lock-on trio travelled up from Gumbaynggirr country (mid north coast NSW) that was experiencing disaster flooding only 18 months after they experienced the Black summer bushfires. They came with a crew of frontline supporters and road trippers from the Coffs Coast Climate Action Group – the self-proclaimed ‘motley crew’ made up of all ages and backgrounds comes together yearly for the trip – united by a deep call to Stop Adani and protect communities from further climate chaos.

The group’s visit has marked some rising energy at camp, with more #StopAdani groups set to visit in the upcoming weeks. People were out again yesterday broadcasting live from Juru country at the front gates of Adani’s Abbott Point port after Adani Ports were outed this week for doing dirty business with the brutal Myanmar military regime. The report exposes Adani’s complete disregard for the escalating crisis in Myanmar and reveals Adani Ports recently told investors its work in Myanmar is ‘rock solid’ despite other foreign companies withdrawing from Myanmar due to the current crisis. 

In India, Myanmar and Australia; Adani has been called out for abusing the human rights of indigenous people and for consistently lying to the public. Another massive reason to come to camp and help us stop Adani!

In other news, we have launched FLAC TV. It’s a new project highlighting the many climate frontlines across the continent and the inspiring people who are organising, collaborating and facing head on the biggest threats to our existence.

If you are keen to get involved in creating future episodes or have a campaign you reckon should be featured, please get in contact.

We also have this message to pass on from Coedie (Coodz Mac), Wangan and Jagalingou man who is organising the Tour De Carmichael – Cycle for Country: May 3-7 on Wangan and Jagalingou land.