Violet Coco

Last updated

Violet Coco
Violet Coco 2023.jpg
Coco in 2023
Born
Deanna Maree Coco

1989 or 1990
Known for Sydney Harbour Bridge protest in 2022
Family Alister Henskens (uncle)

Deanna Maree "Violet" Coco, [1] (born 1989 or 1990) usually known as Violet Coco, is an Australian climate activist who was briefly jailed on remand for blocking the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 2022. She successfully appealed her 15-month jail conviction in March 2023, after the judge found that her conviction was based on false information from the police about an ambulance being blocked by her protest.

Contents

Activism

Coco is a high-profile activist [2] affiliated with Fireproof Australia and Extinction Rebellion. [1] [3] The 2019–20 Australian bushfire season motivated Coco to shift focus from her events management business and towards climate change activism. [4]

Coco being arrested as part of a climate protest in 2019. JMP 4925 XR (48940737592).jpg
Coco being arrested as part of a climate protest in 2019.

On 13 April 2022, she blocked one lane of traffic on the Sydney Harbour Bridge as part of a protest drawing attention to climate change. [3] [5] Her arrest for the protest was her 21st arrest. [1]

In December 2022, Coco was found guilty of breaking traffic laws and misusing a safety flare and sentenced by Magistrate Allison Hawkins to 15 months in jail. [5] [6] The severity of the sentence was criticised by United Nations special rapporteur on peaceful assembly Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, and by Human Rights Watch. [5] [7] David Ritter, chief executive of Greenpeace Australia Pacific, also condemned the penalty and the new legislation that enabled it, which he described as "rushed through in a chilling and knee-jerk response to ongoing peaceful protests". [8] Coco alleges mistreatment by New South Wales Police during her arrest and detention. [9]

Coco was held for 11 days at Silverwater Correctional Centre, New South Wales, Australia. [10] On 13 December 2022, over 100 protestors gathered outside the District Court of New South Wales anticipating Coco's appeal hearing. [11] That same day, she was released from jail on bail as she prepared to appeal her sentencing. [12] Bail conditions prohibited her from being within one kilometre of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. [11] Her appeal of the 15-month jail sentence was successful in mid-March 2023, after the judge concluded evidence of an ambulance being blocked at the protest was falsely presented by New South Wales Police. [13] [14] The two charges for resisting arrest and using a flare as an unauthorised explosive remained on her record. [13]

In March 2023 Coco was fined $200 after spray painting a police station with the logo of Woodside Energy. [2] [15] The sentencing judge credited Coco: "It is noble and commendable people have strong personal views" but also stated that she had gone "too far" in her actions. [15]

A First Dog on the Moon cartoon depicted Violet Coco's 2022 imprisonment. [16]

Personal life

In 2019, Coco was the owner-operator of an events management company. [4] She is the niece of New South Wales state minister Alister Henskens, who had voted in support of the anti‑protest legislation used to convict Coco. [17] Coco was aged 32 years in 2022. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Burke</span> Former Speaker of the House (b.1966)

Anna Elizabeth Burke is a former Australian politician and Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives. She is a current Member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and an Officer of the Order of Australia. Burke was a member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1998 to 2016, representing the Division of Chisholm, Victoria for the Australian Labor Party. From 2012 to 2013, she was Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives. She was the second woman to become Speaker.

<i>Assange v Swedish Prosecution Authority</i> Legal proceedings over extraditing Julian Assange to Sweden

Assange v Swedish Prosecution Authority were the set of legal proceedings in the United Kingdom concerning the requested extradition of Julian Assange to Sweden for a "preliminary investigation" into accusations of sexual offences allegedly made in August 2010. Assange left Sweden in September 2010 and was arrested in his absence the same day. He was suspected of rape of a lesser degree, unlawful coercion and multiple cases of sexual molestation. In June 2012, Assange breached bail and sought refuge at Ecuador's Embassy in London and was granted asylum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ged Kearney</span> Assistant Minister in the Australian Government

Gerardine Mary "Ged" Kearney is an Australian politician and trade unionist who is the Labor member for the federal division of Cooper and the current assistant minister for health and aged care. She has been a member of the House of Representatives since March 2018, first representing the division of Batman. Prior to politics, Kearney served as president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) from 2010 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alister Henskens</span> Australian politician

Alister Andrew Henskens is an Australian politician. Henskens has been a Liberal Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly since 2015, initially representing the electorate of Ku-ring-gai in Sydney's upper North Shore and then Wahroonga from 2023.

Picking quarrels and provoking trouble, also translated as picking quarrels and stirring up trouble or picking quarrels and making trouble, is a crime under the law of the People's Republic of China.

The following lists events that happened during 2017 in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sally Rugg</span> Australian activist

Sally Rugg is a Melbourne-based LGBTIQ activist, feminist and political staffer. Rugg was the GetUp creative and campaigns director between 2013 and 2018. Rugg was one of the many public faces of the "YES" campaign in the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey and also campaigns for Safe Schools. Until her highly publicised dismissal in 2022, Rugg served as the Chief of Staff for Independent Member of Parliament, Monique Ryan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extinction Rebellion</span> Environmental pressure group

Extinction Rebellion is a UK-founded global environmental movement, with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and the risk of social and ecological collapse. Extinction Rebellion was established in Stroud in May 2018 by Gail Bradbrook, Simon Bramwell, and Roger Hallam, along with eight other co-founders from the campaign group Rising Up!

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greta Thunberg</span> Swedish environmental activist (born 2003)

Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg is a Swedish environmental activist known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change mitigation.

The Stansted 15 are a group of non-violent human rights activists who took action to stop a deportation flight leaving from Stansted Airport, UK on 28 March 2017. The plane, a Titan Airways Boeing 767 was chartered by the UK Home Office to deport 60 migrants to Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Hallam (activist)</span> British environmental activist and co-founder of Extinction Rebellion

Julian Roger Hallam is a British environmental activist, a co-founder of Extinction Rebellion, cooperative federation organisation Radical Routes, the political party Burning Pink, and Just Stop Oil.

Extinction Rebellion (XR) is an international "non-violent civil disobedience" movement carrying out demonstrations worldwide to highlight governments' inaction on climate change. Since 2018, Extinction Rebellion has taken a variety of actions in Europe, the US, and rapidly elsewhere in the world, to urge political and economic forces to take action amid the climate crisis. Although, their non-violent disobedience protests are an effort to generate attention around environmental issues, XR activists have become known for civil disobedience and disruptive tactics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howey Ou</span> Chinese climate activist

Ou Hongyi, also known by her English name Howey Ou, is a Chinese environmental activist who organises the school strike for climate in Guilin in southern China, calling for more action to limit greenhouse gas emissions by China and thus climate change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Sewell (Australian neo-Nazi)</span> Australian neo-Nazi

Thomas Sewell is a New Zealand-born Australian neo-Nazi and convicted criminal. He is the leader of the National Socialist Network, the European Australian Movement, and founder of the Lads Society. The groups led by Sewell focus on promoting White supremacy and far-right activism in Australia. He is known for associating with other prominent neo-Nazis and for controversial public stunts.

Elizabeth Teresa Humphrys is an Australian political economist, policy analyst and author at the University of Technology Sydney. Humphrys is most notable for her research on the Australian Labor Party, the Hawke government and trade unions in the implementation of neoliberalism in Australia. Humphrys has also published and spoken on anti-politics, and the impacts of climate change for workers

Blockade Australia is a direct action group in Australia who blockade rail and roads in ports to "force the urgent broad-scale change necessary for survival". They describe themselves as "committed to taking the action necessary to disrupt economic bottlenecks of Australia and stop the exploitative colonial project".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Just Stop Oil</span> British climate activism group

Just Stop Oil is a British environmental activist group. Using civil resistance, direct action, vandalism and traffic obstruction, the group aims for the British government to commit to ending new fossil fuel licensing and production. The group was founded in February 2022 and began protesting at English oil terminals in April 2022. The group has received particular attention, positive and negative, for its methods of activism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scientist Rebellion</span> International scientists environmentalist group

Scientist Rebellion is an international scientists' environmentalist group that campaigns for degrowth, climate justice, and more effective climate change mitigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fireproof Australia</span> Australian activist group

Fireproof Australia is a prominent activism group dedicated to safeguarding Australia's unique ecosystems, communities, and future generations from the devastating impacts of wildfires.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleanor Williams (criminal)</span> English criminal

Eleanor Williams is an English criminal, famous for making false claims of multiple serious crimes. Her claims include accusations of trafficking, rape, blackmail, and physical violence, none of which were found to have occurred. Following her 2022 trial, Williams was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison, a sentence which she is currently serving.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Gladstone, Nigel (2 December 2022). "Climate activist jailed under new laws for blocking Sydney Harbour Bridge". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022. May need to scroll down.
  2. 1 2 "Climate activist Violet CoCo spray-paints 'Woodside' on police station". Australian Financial Review. 3 May 2023. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Morton, Adam (4 December 2022). "Wherever you stand on Violet Coco, her jailing raises the stakes for climate protest". The Guardian. London, United Kingdom. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  4. 1 2 McGowan, Michael (14 December 2022). "Climate activist Deanna 'Violet' Coco reveals why she was prepared to risk jail time". The Guardian. London, United Kingdom. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 Turnbull, Tiffanie (8 December 2022). "Violet Coco: climate activist's jailing ignites row in Australia". BBC News. London, United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  6. ↑ Bucci, Nino (9 December 2022). "How does the 15-month jail term for environmental protester Violet Coco compare to other sentences?". The Guardian. London, United Kingdom. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  7. ↑ The Guardian (3 December 2022). "UN official 'alarmed' by jailing of climate activist who blocked traffic on Sydney Harbour Bridge". The Guardian. London, United Kingdom. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  8. ↑ Taylor, Josh; Wind, Emily; May, Natasha (7 December 2022). "Violet Coco jailing condemned by Greenpeace". The Guardian. London, United Kingdom. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022. May need to scroll.
  9. ↑ Mahony, Jack (6 December 2022). "Jailed climate protester alleges NSW police threatened her with 'sexual violence'". Sky News Australia. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  10. ↑ Fireproof Australia (2022). "#FreeViolet – Fireproof Australia". Fireproof Australia. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  11. 1 2 Ferri, Lauren (13 December 2022). "Climate activist Deanna "Violet" Coco appeal hearing, protesters outside court". news.com.au. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  12. ↑ McGowan, Michael (13 December 2022). "Climate activist Deanna 'Violet' Coco freed from prison while she appeals 15-month jail sentence". The Guardian. London, United Kingdom. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  13. 1 2 "Climate activist Deanna 'Violet' Coco's 15-month jail sentence quashed on appeal". The Guardian. 15 March 2023. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  14. ↑ "Violet Coco: Activist's jail term overturned in Australia protest row". BBC News. 15 March 2023. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  15. 1 2 Bucci, Nino (4 May 2023). "Magistrate commends activist Deanna 'Violet' Coco for 'noble' beliefs but says she went too far". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  16. ↑ First Dog on the Moon (7 December 2022). "Violet Coco is in prison meanwhile the fossil fuel people are really getting value for money". The Guardian. Australia. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  17. ↑ McGowan, Michael (6 December 2022). "Violet Coco: NSW minister voted for laws used to jail his niece for 15 months over climate protest". The Guardian. London, United Kingdom. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.