Hundreds of people have gathered at Woodside's headquarters in Perth to peacefully oppose the fossil fuel giant seismic blasting in Western Australian waters.
© Greenpeace / Kerry Faulkner
About 250 people from the community and environmental groups turned out in Perth for a candlelit vigil to voice their concern for Western Australia's ocean and marine life at risk from Woodside's work on its climate-wrecking Burrup Hub project.
Just this month, Woodside began dredging in endangered turtle habitat, was responsible for a whale calf strike in the Port of Dampier, and will soon commence seismic blasting in endangered whale habitat.
Greenpeace senior campaigner Sophie McNeill said Woodside can't bury its head in the sand and hide from community concerns any longer.
"Woodside proclaims to serve our community, but Perth has been clear: we don't want Woodside's climate and future-wrecking gas. If Woodside cared about Australians, it would be listening to the concerns of the hundreds who have shown up this evening," she said.
"Woodside is putting our oceans and wildlife at risk with its seismic blasting plans. Western Australians have made their voices heard: we want whales, not Woodside. Seismic blasting can deafen whales, who use their sonar to find food - so a deaf whale is a dead whale."
At least a dozen police monitored community attendees who peacefully held candles, played instruments, or displayed signs.
It comes after activists were slapped with heavy-handed restraining orders following a peaceful action at Woodside CEO Meg O'Neill's home earlier this month.
The Perth vigil was one of three against Woodside, parallel to events in Margaret River and Karratha.
The Perth vigil was organised by Greenpeace Australia Pacific and the Conservation Council of WA (CCWA) and was supported by the Wilderness Society, XR Grandparents Perth, Doctors for The Environment, 350 Perth, the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change, School Strike For Climate and Australian Youth Climate Coalition WA.
