Extinction Rebellion (XR) SA was trackside at Belair Road, Mitcham, on January 21 to support cyclists in the Tour Down Under (TDU) Stage 6 final race while calling for fossil fuel company Santos to be dumped as a sponsor.
XR, including Drum Rebellion, joined with local residents to cheer the teams as they rode by.
The City of Mitcham has decided to ban聽coal, gas and oil companies鈥 advertising on council land. It rejected a TDU application for caravan advertising Santos on a council site.
XR spokesperson聽Gemma聽Weedall聽congratulated Mitcham and other councils for declaring a climate emergency and 鈥渨alking the talk with their Santos advertising ban鈥.
She said the government 鈥渕issed a stand-out opportunity鈥 to find a better sponsor for the TDU, arguing that Santos is a 鈥済reen-washing climate wrecker鈥.
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鈥淪antos exports most of its product and its profits, paying very little tax and providing only a small proportion of employment in Australia, while receiving government support and subsidies.
鈥淏y expanding its gas and oil production, including the massive carbon-producing Barossa project, it is directly fuelling the climate crisis.鈥
XR has vowed to protest wherever the government 鈥渆nables a polluting oil and gas company to buy social consent for their destructive industry 鈥 greenwashing.
鈥淲e鈥檝e dumped Big Tobacco from sporting events and now it鈥檚 time to dump fossil fuels, the current big threat to our health and safety,鈥 Weedall said.