Police closed down Ballina Road bridge for almost 15 minutes this morning just before 9am when climate change protestors staged an action there.

Extinction Rebellion climate change activists Rebel Dylan and Locky said they successfully hung a ‘climate crisis, act now’ banner on top of the bridge, before local police arrived.

“The idea was to create a powerful act of civil disobedience in our hometown of Lismore because of climate change,” Dylan said.

“I wanted to find a way to create protest in Lismore for what’s going on in the world. We have been suffocated by Covid because we haven’t been able to protest.

“So, we got up on the bridge and strung a big banner over the cars so everyone driving in could see what we wanted to say – that we need climate action.

“To give attention to that banner. we though we would stand up there with it and dressed up as well.

“We put on masks and bandanas and eye make up and brought attention to the cause using powerful theatrics.

“We were keen to stay up there for as long as possible, but we knew eventually the police would come.”

When the police arrived, they closed the bridge to traffic by staging a road block at either side of the normally busy bridge. The bridge was closed for almost 15 minutes before the protesters climbed down, and traffic resumed.

“When we got down, the police got my name and address and said we were putting ourselves in danger and we can’t have that,” Dylan said.

“Because got down quickly, we didn’t get arrested or fined . It felt like we made enough of a statement in that time to negotiate with police and move off.”

Dylan said other spontaneous protests would be a definite possibility in the future.

Following the climate change protest, another local group Bitchez on Bikez staged a ride through town to compliment the bridge action.

Read more about the ride here: Bitchez on Bikez take to the streets with compliments