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Australia’s biggest gas polluter, Woodside Energy is deploying its war fuelled profits to hound and intimidate peaceful Disrupt Burrup Hub protestors and force them into bankruptcy.

The use of SLAPP suits (strategic lawsuits against public participation) is a legal tactic to financially and emotionally wear down effective public protestors and intimidate and silence anyone else who might join the movement to stop new coal and gas projects. They were famously used in 2004 by Tasmanian forest logging company Gunns.

Protestors have targeted Woodside’s gas expansion plans in the Burrup Hub, which contains the oldest collection of rock art in the world and is a deeply sacred place for traditional custodians. Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek will have to accept or reject the plans over coming months.

As put by Acting Greens Leader Senator Mehreen Faruqi:

“Woodside is a corporate villain, pure and simple. They are destroying the planet, reaping billions in profits, they have the Labor and Liberal parties wrapped around their fingers and now they are trying to bankrupt two women who dared challenge their dangerous expansion plans.

“These SLAPP suits are straight out of the playbook that Tasmanian native forest logging company Gunns used against Bob Brown and 19 other environmental campaigners. Thankfully the only one out of them that is bankrupt now is Gunns.

“Woodside might have huge resources and the Labor and Liberal parties on their side, but the climate movement has a growing number of people desperately committed to stopping new coal and gas and preventing climate collapse.

“The Greens support disruptive peaceful protest that draws public attention to the reality that coal, oil and gas companies are causing the climate crisis.

“We will be watching the conduct of the WA police closely. WA police have a chance to come to the right side of history, sever their cosy relationship as Woodside’s private law enforcers and not assist the fossil fuel giant in intimidating climate activists.”