The Pacific Warriors’ actions provided the focal point for ongoing campaigning.
On the day of the blockade itself, 350 Australia organised a National Day of Divestment Action, stating: ‘Money speaks. That’s why, on October 17-18, Australians everywhere joined together to move our money out of the financial institutions that are funding climate destruction’.
The Warriors’ symbolic action provided a springboard to launch ongoing political initiatives. The blockade led to the formation of local and regional networks and alliances, and to initiatives that fused recovery of traditional culture with building the climate movement.
Examples of the ‘cascade’ of events generated by the blockade are outlined below.
Following the blockade, 350 staff member Aaron Packard wrote:
‘The odds of success at keeping the Islands above water remains an outside chance. But prior to the Warrior blockade of Newcastle Port, there was no genuine fight for the Islands beyond what [was being done] through formal governmental channels. There is now a fight on for the Islands, and that story will deepen in the approaching months as the Warriors now plan for where, when and how they will strike next’.
Some of the events generated by the blockade
| Date/ event | Details |
2014 | |
| Divestment movement in the Pacific | The blockade was a ‘springboard’ for a Pacific-wide divestment campaign. People delivered letters to bank managers, calling on them to cease investment in the industry. Campaign spokesperson, Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, stated that ‘organizations and financial institutions, such as the ANZ, must align their money with their morals’. |
2015 | |
| ‘People’s Parliament’in the foyer of Parliament House, Canberra | A group of Warriors joins hundreds of Australians to demand that politicians put people ahead of polluters (City News, 2015). |
| ‘People’s Pilgrimage’ | The Pacific Climate Warriors join the ‘People’s Pilgrimage’, organised by Yeb Saño, former international climate negotiator from the Philippines (Lutunatabua, 2015) |
| Pacific Film Forum | Pacific Warriors conduct a Pacific Film Forum at COP21 climate talks (Indigenous Peoples’ Pavilion, 2015) |
| Mock trial of ExxonMobil | Pacific Warriors are among the judges in a mock trial held to mirror the official COP21 climate talks (Ahram online, 2015). |
| ‘Frontline Truths’ | The Pacific Warriors launch their own digital storytelling project, featuring text, video and images designed to tell their own stories of climate change (350 Pacific, 2015). |
| Fa’anoanoa (Act of Contrition) at the Vatican: the Warriors’ message was delivered directly to Pope Francis | The Pacific Warriors hold a 3-day ceremony designed to ‘demonstrate the grief and loss being experienced in the Pacific Islands at the hands of the Fossil Fuel industry’ (Tiumalu, 2015). |
2016 | |
| Breakfree protest, Newcastle | A return to Newcastle harbour—see below. Part of 350’s global ‘Breakfree’ initiative, designed to target ‘some of the most iconic and dangerous fossil fuel projects’ in the world (Davidson, 2016). |
2017 | |
| COP23 talks in Bonn | The Warriors are invited to be one of the groups leading a march of civil society groups just ahead of the COP23 climate talks (350 Pacific, 2015). |
| Protest against fossil fuel extraction in the Tar Sands, Canada | The Pacific Warriors visit Canada’s Tar Sands ‘to bear witness to the source of destruction, and meet with the Indigenous communities resisting Canada’s most toxic industries from the front lines’. A series of speaking events, ceremonies and meetings to build solidarity (350, 2017). |
2018 | |
| #PacificPawa (Pacific Power) campaign | 350 Pacific launches this campaign calling for 100% renewable energy and for local institutions to ‘show the world what true Climate Leadership is’ (350, 2018, 350 Pacific, 2018). |
| 350 Pacific works to build links with Pacific diaspora in Australia | Door knocking and strengthening community ties (350 Australia, 2018) |
| Calls for the Brisbane City Council to divest from fossil fuels and move to #StopAdani. | The Pacific Island community in Brisbane holds an action calling for divestment and opposition to Adani (350 Australia, 2018) |
2019 | |
| ‘Breaking Ground’ tour held ahead of Australia’s federal election,travelling through key electorates in Queensland | The Pacific Warriors hold forums in Brisbane and Rockhampton, attracting hundreds of participants, and tour through key electorates (350 Australia, 2019) |
2020 | |
‘Pacific Pawa Up Fellowship’
| Online training program for young people in the Pacific focusing on a just recovery. |
Support for Stop Adani | Pacific Climate Warriors successfully lobby the Industrial Bank of Korea to stop funding the Abbot Point Terminal and Adani coalmine. |
