‘Stop Adani’ protesters enter Sydney cricket ground amid Ind-Aus ODI

The protesters were protesting against the controversial coal project by the Adani Group. Adani Carmichael coal mine project is an international project of the Adani group.

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Cricket viewers were taken by surprise when during the India-Australia cricket match in Sydney two spectators barged onto the field with a placard stating State bank of India ‘ No $1Bn Adani loan’. The protesters were protesting against the controversial coal project by the Adani Group. Adani Carmichael coal mine project is an international project of the Adani group.

The protesters, who ran onto the ground just ahead of the 7th over, held placards against a $1billion loan to mining company Adani for a controversial project in Queensland.

The spectators were escorted off the ground by security officials after they were initially allowed to stand in the middle for a while. However, that’s not all, as a group of approximately 50 people had gathered outside the stadium in protest as well.

One of the protestors reached close to the pitch before being removed from the field of play just as Navdeep Saini was going to start his over.

The protesters’ T-shirts read “#StopAdani” on the front, while on the back, they said “Stop Coal. #StopAdani. Take Action.

What is the Carmichael Coal Mining Project?

The 16$ billion Carmichael coal mine project has been surrounded by controversies since its inception due to regulatory and environmental issues. Environmental activists and indigenous activists have flagged the climate change and damage to the great barrier reef associated with large scale coal mining in the area. Adani group has also taken large swaths of land that belonged to indigenous people of Australia.

Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani closeness to Indian Prime Minister is well known. Adani’s assocaition with Modi has his party BJP has reaped benefited him in a big way. Since Modi became PM Adani’s fortunes in India have multiplied several fold. Recently,  several Indian airports were acquired by the Adani group all due to the grace of PM Modi. Several court judgements were compromised and made to favour Adani group thus profiting thousands of crores to Adani from public funds. Adani group has acquired coal blocks in Central part of India through linkages with Indian governement.

Continuous opposition from australian environmental activists and its danger to the great barrier reef has made the the mining project a risky investment in Australia. So far eight companies have refused to be involved in the project and Adani group has not managed to get any private investor to fund the project so far.

But recently State Bank of India has agreed to give a loan of 1 billion dollars to Adani group for the Carmichael coal mine project. With so much a warning signs of envirmental damage Adani group now wants Indian banks to fund his projects.

This begs the question, Why does an Indian bank which has the Indian taxpayers money want to loan such a large sum to an multinatinal project based in Australia?

On Friday, the Stop Adani group issued a press release, urging the State Bank of India not to approve a loan of $1 billion Australian dollars to Adani.

Why is SBI wasting public money bailing out a billionaire’s bad investment. This reeks of crony capitalism.

Also Read- Adani Australia Coal Mine Blocked by Indigenous Wangan and Jagalingou People

In August this year, Indigenous people served Adani Australia with an eviction notice for illegally trespassing on Wangan and Jagalingou land in Australia and demanded that all mining and extractive activities to be stopped in their Country .

The Wangan and Jagalingou traditional owners have blocked the Carmichael coal mine project by Adani Australia in Queensland. They have named their movement ‘Standing Our Ground’ because they intend to stand their ground to defend their rights as First Nations people.

The Wangan and Jagalingou people are one of the many indigenous communities whose ancestors lived in Australia before British colonization. On Standing Our Ground, they wrote that they are “the original sovereign people of a vast area of unceded land in the Galilee Basin in central-western Queensland”.

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