WA police arrest 38 Roe 8 protesters

WA police have arrested dozens of people at a Roe 8 site as protesters continue their campaign against clearing of Beeliar Wetlands for the road project.

Protesters hang signs at the Beeliar Wetlands Protectors Camp at Bibra Lake in Perth on Wednesday, Dec. 07, 2016. (AAP Image/Richard Wainwright) NO ARCHIVING

Protesters hang signs at the Beeliar Wetlands Protectors Camp at Bibra Lake in Perth on Wednesday, Dec. 07, 2016. Source: AAP

Police have arrested 38 people including one man accused of assault as heated protests continue over the clearing of land at the Beeliar Wetlands as part of the Roe 8 highway extension.

Hundreds of people have been arrested in protests since December involving people locking themselves to machinery, knocking over fences and sitting naked in trees while legal appeals involving environmentalists and Aboriginals go on.

The protesters say the project involves bulldoze 400 year old trees, native wildlife and Aboriginal sacred sites in the Beeliar Wetlands.

Another 11 move-on notices were handed out and police intervened in 15 lock-ons.

Police arrested a man over an assault on a security guard working at the site, which they said was the third such allegation at the site.

The government signed contracts last year for the $450 million Roe 8, which is part of the larger Perth Freight Link that aims to better link Perth's industrial areas with Fremantle Port and get trucks off suburban roads.

Labor will scrap the project and cancel the contracts.

Shadow Treasurer Ben Wyatt said Mr Barnett had the capacity to stop the work but made the decision to "push on aggressively".

He urged the premier to put it off until the election and free up police to do everyday work.

Police Commissioner Mr O'Callaghan said the continued protests were putting a strain on the force and involved paying overtime outside the police budget.

Premier Colin Barnett said he was not happy that police resources and money was being spent on people breaking the law at the Roe 8 site.

"But we will not let stand by and let protest groups dictate what happens," he said.


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Source: AAP



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