Local climate change activist Deanna "Violet" CoCo will avoid jail time as her sentence was reduced from 15 months imprisonment to 12 months good behaviour with no further penalty. Ms CoCo's convictions will remain.

Violet CoCo faced court again yesterday (15 March) in relation to a protest action on the Sydney Harbour Bridge last year, which blocked a lane of traffic for under half an hour, under the banner of Fire Proof Australia.

Violet was arrested along with three others. They were demanding more resources be allocated to fire fighting services, schools and aged care facilities be fitted out with renewable-powered air conditioning, and people displaced by floods and fires be rehomed immediately. She was appealing the sentence of 15 months prison for her part in the action.

District Court Judge Mark Williams rejected the Crown’s suggestion Ms Coco was a “danger to the community” due to her record of protest actions. He set aside the jail term and placed Ms Coco on a 12-month conditional release order. Convictions for two of her charges will remain.

Her co-accused Alan Glover, a volunteer fire fighter, was also released with similar conditions.

"When addressing the crowd, Ms CoCo said, "The last eleven months have been an incredible challenge on myself and my family, my community but ultimately the most important thing is that we are continuing to raise the alarm on climate and ecological emergency.



"We are in a climate emergency, we are in the final hours to change the trajectory of hell on earth. We must continue to raise the alarm on the climate and ecological emergency as loudly and boldly as possible."

Ms CoCo told reporters she was spending time in Lismore helping people with their houses that have been catastrophically destroyed by floods caused by climate breakdown.

At the moment I'm spending time in Lismore helping people with their houses that have been catastrophically destroyed by floods caused by climate breakdown.

"I plan to continue to raise the alarm," Ms CoCo said.