Protesters savaged over ‘stupid’ stunt on major Sydney bridge

Protesters were dragged off a busy Sydney bridge this morning after temporarily blocking city-bound lanes and disrupting traffic as motorists headed to work.

Yet their stunt most likely failed to live up to their expectations, with the group mocked over their efforts which largely turned out to be a damp squib.

Up to five environmental activists sat cross-legged on the Spit Bridge in Sydney's north at around 8am holding large red banners bearing the name of their newly-formed group, Fireproof Australia.

Their message was simple, to help protect the country from blazing bushfires and "force our government to respond urgently to the climate crisis”.

But according to many Sydneysiders, their message wasn't clear.

"Well very successful protest. No one knows what it was for," one person said.

While many questioned: "What are they protesting?"

The organisation uploaded a video on social media with a strong message declaring the group would "sit on this road" until the Australian government organised "a large aerial firefighting fleet".

"We need to be noisy, naughty Australians, we did not want to be doing this but the government has failed us," the woman says in the clip.

In a statement released in conjunction with the protest, the groups says it is "made up of ordinary people that have suffered from the fires, who are beyond appalled by the government’s lack of care for its citizens".

Video shows police moving protesters on with ease

Despite early warnings for commuters to expect extensive delays, it only took 20 minutes for police to arrive and move them on in minutes.

A video shared on Twitter shows a group of officers approaching the protestors before quickly and easily swiping their signs from their hands.

One by one the protesters were picked up and carried off the road seemingly with ease and without a fuss. While another shows onlookers cheering as the roads are cleared and traffic begins to move.

People who saw the stunt expressed their annoyance, particularly since commuters are still dealing with reduced train services after yesterday’s network shutdown.

"I'm all for protesting, but screw you if you decide to protest by inconveniencing just regular ordinary people, one said.

"Stopping traffic is just beyond stupid and it's not protesting, it's just harassing normal people trying to get to work or school"

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Another fumed: "Gee thanks f******* …. Way to get everyone that needed to drive through there to hate you and completely disregard whatever your cause was."

Others couldn't ignore the fact the heavy rains in Sydney, which will stick around for at least 10 days, took away from their cause even further.

While hotter and drier conditions linked to climate change are increasing the chances of bushfires, Tuesday's conditions were synonymous with one of the country's wettest periods in years thanks to La Niña.

Poking fun at the protesters, one person joked: "Are they asking for a tunnel to protest in - nice and dry."

Following the protest, Fireproof Australia wrote on Facebook: "Fireproof Australia is going to block Sydney’s major roads consistently and nonviolently, week after week until the government meets our reasonable demands."

All lanes cleared not long after the incident while there were no arrests made.

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