Protesters from the environmental action group Lock The Gate unfurled a banner reading “No Fracking Way” at the sidelines of the Tour Down Under as a protest against the event’s corporate sponsors, Santos‘ plans for coal seam gas exploration. In the blink of an eye an official car arrived to rip the banner from the hands of the protesters.

As an attempt to save Santos from any embarrassment it failed since Youtube is everywhere and the clip has since become popular viewing for the Tour Down Under well-drilled anti-ambush squad.

The peaceful protesters from Lock the Gate held discussions with SA police, in the name of transparency, about their intentions to hold a peaceful protest, and declared they had no interest in disrupting the event or doing anything which would place cyclists in danger.

The behavior of the people who ripped away the banner and sped off shows a complete disregard for the right to freedom of speech.

Santos is largely responsible for ‘fracking’ down under – and people have a right to voice their concerns given the environmental issues surrounding coal seam gas and the fracking processes.

For more information about Lock the Gate see: http://lockthegate.org.au/