Save Our Figs protestors are standing by their actions and say they’d do it all over again, despite the deployment of riot squad officers in and around Newcastle’s Laman Street resulting in a big bill for taxpayers.
The Police Minister has revealed the cost hit $19,400.
Caity Rashke from Save Our Figs says the police resources thrown at the protests last year and earlier this year, were over the top.
Everyone involved would do it all over again there was nothing wrong with the Laman St figs ,the council pitted the police against the community so they could have a new Laman st forecourt …would this have happened in Hyde park never trees are replaced not chopped to the ground …the destruction is evident ….national and international arborists supported that figs were safe but 7 Councillors 99percent who have gone voted for the chop and the community is left with the bill and an empty street for no valid reason …what a travesty …oh and I forgot the Premiers offer was good enough we didn’t need an independent arborist we had Hewitt and Cordingly !
There would be no bill at all if the council had listened to the voice of the community. It is outrageous to try to cast them as somehow responsible for the excessive use of police force.
On October 12, 2011, the Herald reported from an NCC confidential internal memo that security costs were $20,000 per day for Laman Street “per day” – I believe this was for private security prior to the arrival of police. Can that $20k/day be verified? … or was it a figure that was released to remove support for retaining the figs?
The community? Try the commune. The police weren’t pitted against anyone. If people obeyed the law then they wouldn’t have fallen foul of the police. These grubs think that just because they don’t agree with a decision of the government they have the right to carry on however they want. WRONG!
The cost of this is squarely on the left wing zealots for whom this was nothing more than a cause du jour.
Where was the outcry when the Tyrell s trees were removed? Oh that’s right – that was a left wing council so that decision must have been right.
I suggest all these green fanatics look up the Tyrell street issue. One councillor voted against – just one – and it wasn’t one of the greens it was Paul Scobie.