Protesters in court for defending heritage

Issue 

HOBART — A group of Aboriginal activists faced court on February 4 over a protest that halted work on the Brighton Bypass in November.

Michael Mansell, Jimmy Everett, Sarah Lesley Maynard and Maree Rose Maynard pleaded not guilty in Hobart Magistrates Court to trespassing and contravening the conditions of a notice.

Nineteen protesters were charged at the protest.

The Brighton Bypass threatens Aboriginal artefacts, some of which are 18,000 years old, in contravention of the Aboriginal Relics Act.

The Aboriginal community is demanding the bypass be rerouted to avoid the sensitive sites.

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