David Pocock says trip to Zimbabwe motivated him to take part in Maules Creek protest

via David Pocock says trip to Zimbabwe motivated him to take part in Maules Creek protest December 2, 2014

Wallabies star David Pocock’s decision to risk his career with arrest at a protest was prompted by a trip four years ago when he sheltered from the scorching sun beneath a blooming acacia tree in a Zimbabwean village.

The former Wallabies captain was visiting a group of subsistence farmers as part of a community education trip. As he sat on a rickety old chair beneath the tree, a community worker called Paul told him a story.

“He spoke with great passion about some of the bigger issues facing the community and finally came to his point, leaning across and looking me straight in the eye as he said, ‘What we are really worried about is this climate change. We here can do nothing about it. It is rich countries, like yours, that have caused this problem. We are paying the price and we have no resources to deal with these challenges’,” Pocock wrote on his blog on Tuesday.

“My parents were always clear with my brothers and I when we were growing up that you have to have the courage of your convictions and that when you commit to something you must fully commit. That’s why, this weekend I travelled to the Leard Blockade,” Pocock said.Fast-forward four years to last weekend. Pocock set out from his home in Canberra for northern NSW, where he was arrested after chaining himself to a construction vehicle to protest against the Maules Creek coal mine in the Leard Forest.

He wanted to raise awareness about the plight of the community of farmers and local Gamilaroi people in the Leard Forest region, whose land and sacred sites he said the Maules Creek mine threatened to destroy.

The 26-year-old was one of nine people arrested at the protest and charged with offences including entering enclosed land without a lawful excuse.

He has been released on bail and copped a formal written warning from the Australian Rugby Union on Monday.

“While we appreciate David has personal views on a range of matters, we’ve made it clear that we expect his priority to be ensuring he can fulfil his role as a high-performance athlete,” an ARU statement said.

“The matter is now subject to legal proceedings and we will now let the legal process take its course.”

But neither the arrest nor the warning seemed to have fazed Pocock, who has also advocated for same sex marriage rights.

“Here in Australia we are faced with retreat from action on climate change and a clear commitment from our government to expand the fossil fuel industry – with plans to double our coal production.

“How can we possibly try to prevent catastrophic climate change while opening new coal mines?”

In his statement published on Tuesday, Pocock expressed no regrets and described his decision to risk arrest and censure as a matter of principle.

He has also called for more non-violent civil disobedience to highlight the deep inequalities represented by the climate crisis.

“We all have a role to play,” Pocock said.  “We were a group of eight Canberrans including public servants and a philosophy lecturer, and a local Maules Creek farmer, who have grave concerns about the future of Australia and the legacy we will leave for generations to come.”

The rugby player’s partner, Emma Pocock, joined about 40 protesters outside the Legislative Assembly in Canberra to continue the protest.

“There is an interesting conversation to be had about how sportspeople actively engage in democracy and political issues,” she told Fairfax Media. “I feel like it’s one we’ve been needing to have for a long time in this country.

“There are issues in the United States that I know of, particularly where players have gotten involved in the campaign for marriage equality, and so I think there’s questions to be asked. I think until we resolve them, the ARU has to take what it thinks is the right course of action.”

Pocock returned to training on Monday after being charged with entering enclosed land without lawful excuse, remaining on enclosed land without lawful excuse and hindering the working of mining equipment.

He is due to appear in Narrabri Local Court on January 14.