Uncovering the Shocking Protest that Led to Partially Naked Pensioners Getting Arrested During the Tour Down Under
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The Tour Down Under kicked off recently, and you could feel the excitement around Adelaide’s streets as the cyclists began their thrilling race.
But the opening stages of the Tour Down Under weren’t all biking glory - instead, it was disrupted by a protest of partially nude pensioners!
Members, you read that right - ladies in their late 60s and 70s bravely stood up to one of the race’s main sponsors and it led to their arrests.
At around 12:30 pm local time, police were patrolling the area and were alerted to the rather shocking protest.
The pensioners were said to be wearing white clothes which had holes cut out to expose some areas of their bodies - a move that they hoped would be shocking enough to draw attention to their cause.
It was also reported that the protesters were all holding signs reading 'We tried polite' and were demonstrating against energy giant Santos' involvement with the race.
The gas and oil producer is said to be one of Australia’s worst greenhouse gas emitting companies.
Extinction Rebellion, a group of environmental activists, stated that the goal of the demonstration was to get Santos dropped as a sponsor of the Tour Down Under.
One protester said: 'We are baring our ageing breasts and our wobbly bums in the hope of shocking.'
'Polite pleas and submissions have not been enough.'
As a result of the protest, a 69-year-old woman from McLaren Vale, a 70-year-old woman from Port Willunga, and a 74-year-old woman from Aldinga were arrested and charged with indecent behaviour and failed to appear in court at a later date.
It wasn’t the first time elderly protesters had turned up to the Tour – two women in their 60s were arrested earlier this week outside Santos’ headquarters after glueing themselves to a pile of bikes and obstructing the path of a driver and pedestrian for half an hour.
Santos has been a long-time partner of the Tour Down Under, sponsoring the sporting event since 2010.
Additionally, the organisation accused Santos of greenwashing the sporting event's activities in order for the company to appear as if it has eco-friendly activities despite their massive carbon footprint.
Greenwashing has become increasingly common in recent years, as companies strive to make their practices appear more eco-friendly than they are.
The extent of Santos' 'greenwashing' is unknown, but they are currently being sued 'for allegedly making 'misleading and deceptive' claims about its carbon emissions reductions and its 'net zero' claims'. Of course, these are all allegations at the time of writing.
Here at Seniors Discount Club, we encourage our members to express their voice and take action, with civil, peacefully-meant and legal methods!
We hope that the protest serves as a stark warning for all corporations to think twice about their consumer perception and the ways in which they’re investing in environmentally damaging activities.
What do you think about this daring demonstration? Do you think the women have gone too far with their display? Or do you think they did the right thing and attracted the attention of the corporation they're calling out? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
But the opening stages of the Tour Down Under weren’t all biking glory - instead, it was disrupted by a protest of partially nude pensioners!
Members, you read that right - ladies in their late 60s and 70s bravely stood up to one of the race’s main sponsors and it led to their arrests.
At around 12:30 pm local time, police were patrolling the area and were alerted to the rather shocking protest.
The pensioners were said to be wearing white clothes which had holes cut out to expose some areas of their bodies - a move that they hoped would be shocking enough to draw attention to their cause.
It was also reported that the protesters were all holding signs reading 'We tried polite' and were demonstrating against energy giant Santos' involvement with the race.
The gas and oil producer is said to be one of Australia’s worst greenhouse gas emitting companies.
Extinction Rebellion, a group of environmental activists, stated that the goal of the demonstration was to get Santos dropped as a sponsor of the Tour Down Under.
One protester said: 'We are baring our ageing breasts and our wobbly bums in the hope of shocking.'
'Polite pleas and submissions have not been enough.'
As a result of the protest, a 69-year-old woman from McLaren Vale, a 70-year-old woman from Port Willunga, and a 74-year-old woman from Aldinga were arrested and charged with indecent behaviour and failed to appear in court at a later date.
It wasn’t the first time elderly protesters had turned up to the Tour – two women in their 60s were arrested earlier this week outside Santos’ headquarters after glueing themselves to a pile of bikes and obstructing the path of a driver and pedestrian for half an hour.
Santos has been a long-time partner of the Tour Down Under, sponsoring the sporting event since 2010.
Additionally, the organisation accused Santos of greenwashing the sporting event's activities in order for the company to appear as if it has eco-friendly activities despite their massive carbon footprint.
Greenwashing has become increasingly common in recent years, as companies strive to make their practices appear more eco-friendly than they are.
The extent of Santos' 'greenwashing' is unknown, but they are currently being sued 'for allegedly making 'misleading and deceptive' claims about its carbon emissions reductions and its 'net zero' claims'. Of course, these are all allegations at the time of writing.
Key Takeaways
- Three women in their 60s and 70s were arrested at the start of the women's Tour Down Under for indecent exposure during a protest against energy giant Santos's sponsorship of the race.
- Extinction Rebellion, the climate activist group, was behind the protest as a way to highlight the apparent ‘greenwashing’ activities of Santos.
- Two other women were arrested earlier in the week after glueing themselves to a pile of bikes in an Adelaide street.
- Santos, who has sponsored the Tour Down Under since 2010, is one of Australia's worst greenhouse gas emitters and many protesters take issue with this association.
Here at Seniors Discount Club, we encourage our members to express their voice and take action, with civil, peacefully-meant and legal methods!
We hope that the protest serves as a stark warning for all corporations to think twice about their consumer perception and the ways in which they’re investing in environmentally damaging activities.
What do you think about this daring demonstration? Do you think the women have gone too far with their display? Or do you think they did the right thing and attracted the attention of the corporation they're calling out? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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