Ballsy Protestors Took Over the Coke Sign in Kings Cross
Seven activists arrested after protesting lack of action on recycling.
Commuters travelling through King's Cross this morning would have been greeted by an unexpected site, after a group of protestors from Greenpeace scaled the intersection's iconic Coca-Cola billboard.
Police arrived on the scene shortly after 8am this morning to find a number of protesters standing atop the famous advertisement refusing to come down. The environmental group has confirmed that the stunt is part of their #StopCoke campaign, which opposes attempts by the soft drink company to stall a state government recycling scheme.
"Coke spends millions every year to maximise its corporate profits, and is trying to undermine a solution to our massive pollution problem," said Greenpeace Australia Pacific spokesperson Nathaniel Pelle in a media release. "We chose this ad space to tell Coke to get out of the way, and implore Mr Baird to put the community before the interests of a soft drink company."
5 #Greenpeace protesters on top of the Coke sign at #kingscross this morning - made for an interesting commute! pic.twitter.com/FJNTvoZHJ2
— Naomi_Midwinter (@Naomi_Midwinter) March 22, 2016
Your mother was a hamster... @CocaCola @Greenpeace #kingscross pic.twitter.com/rSpRM7lpjA
— Dave Baskind (@davebaskind) March 22, 2016
The protestors planned to unfurl a banner reading "Stop Coke Trashing Australia," however they were prevented from doing so by police. Seven people have been arrested for trespassing, and surrounding streets have been temporarily shut down.
Premier Mike Baird last year announced a plan to introduce a 10c cash for containers scheme similar to the one that exists in South Australia, complete with vending machines where the public can deposit used cans and bottles. However several beverage companies, including Coca-Cola, oppose the plan.
"In NSW, drink containers make up at least 44 per cent of all litter; in South Australia it's less than 3 per cent," said Pelle. "We cannot have a fizzy drinks company dictating our waste policy or blocking effective solutions to a major global pollution problem."
Via Pedestrian and news.com.au.
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