Forestry Employees assault conservationists

Four Upper Florentine Arrests, Forestry Tasmania Employee Assaults Two Female Conservationists.

Four conservations have been arrested this morning, as they stopped gravel trucks from entering a quarry. The trucks are taking quarried gravel to the controversial old growth logging road.

Conservationists were physically prevented from leaving the quarry area by Forestry Tasmania employees, with two people assaulted by Forestry Tasmania employee Scott Marriot, including kicking one female protestor.

Two of the arressted will appear in Hobart magistrates court this morning.

"These assaults by a Forestry Tasmania employee are outrageous. Will David Bartlett condemn this violence as strongly as he vilifies peaceful protestors standing up for Tasmania's ancient forests? These kind of actions demonstrate who the real extremists in the Upper Florentine are," Ed Hill said.

A conservationist has locked their arms into a barrel filled with concrete to prevent access to the quarry. The quarry is outside the exclusion zone on an area of public land. When police arrived at the scene they immediatley arrested the three other conservationists for "public nuisance".

"We see these heavy handed tactics, as an attempt by Tasmania police to intimidate conservationists for standing up for Tasmania's forests. In the past when police have used the public nuisance charge against conservationists it has been thrown out in court. This is an attempt by Tasmnaia Police to silence and restrict peaceful protest activity even though they know that their pathetic charges will not stand up in court." said spokesperson Ed Hill.

"Tasmania police need to understand that the public will not be silenced on this issue and that their intimadtory tactics will not silence the will of forests campaigners to stand up and defend these natural wonders."

"It's a shame to see Tasmania police once again looking after the interests of wood chipping barons Gunns Ltd, by protecting them from the public's disapproval; of their wholesale destruction of our iconic old growth forests."

The felling of ancient trees in the area has begun and futher stop work protests and arrests are expected to take place today, in conjunction with the midday rally at parliament lawns.