Blockade Australia: Climate change protester in cheese sandwich incident at police station
One of the Blockade Australia activists alleged to have caused chaos in Sydney has complained about being given a cheese sandwich after her arrest.
Vegan animal rights extremist Isabel Sleiman, 21, raged online after she was refused bail and held overnight in a police cell after she reportedly brought the city to a standstill.
She was furious that she’d spent the night sobbing in a cold cell — and outraged at the food options being offered to her, without even being offered a book to read.
“Just a fyi to the Surrey Hills Police Station that dry cereal and fruit are not food and that a cheese sandwich is not vegan,” she wrote on Facebook under her pseudonym Holly Eckells.
“Please go get some real food, thanks. Also nice, a book would be nice.’
Blockade Australia activist Isabel Sleiman has complained about being given a cheese sandwich after her arrest for her part in allegedly causing rush hour traffic in Sydney
Vegan animal rights extremist Isabel Sleiman, 21, raged online after she was refused bail and held overnight in a police cell after she reportedly brought the city to a standstill.
The Melbourne eco-fighter was one of 10 people arrested after Mali Cooper allegedly stopped rush hour Monday morning by blocking the entrance to the Sydney Harbor Tunnel with a car.
The former teenage model is said to have locked herself on the wheel of her rental car with a padlock and had to be cut free by Police Rescue specialists as the city came to a standstill.
Footage from Cooper’s livestream of her protest shows an irate commuter confronting her in the car and expressing frustration at the chaos she allegedly caused.
Elsewhere in the city, mobs of protesters added to the unrest in a series of rolling demonstrations across the city intended to disrupt traffic and police.
The Melbourne eco-fighter was one of 10 people arrested after Mali Cooper allegedly stopped rush hour traffic on Monday by blocking the entrance to the Sydney Harbor Tunnel with a car.
Elsewhere in the city, mobs of protesters added to the unrest in a series of rolling demonstrations across the city intended to disrupt traffic and police
Sleiman was one of the protesters arrested online, furious about the denial of bail and the conditions she had to endure.
In a lengthy post featuring a selfie of herself apparently in a police station toilet, Sleiman nagged about her treatment and admitted she spent the night crying in her cell.
“I was arrested along with four others after walking the streets for less than 30 minutes,” she said. “This was fine for me. I knew I risked arrest and was prepared for it.
“However, I was not prepared to be refused bail. Because I was refused bail, I spent 29 hours in police custody.
“About half that time was spent in what was essentially a clear box that overlooked the detention desk and gave me enough room to lie flat with my head against one wall and my feet against the other.
‘The other half was in a cell with constant cold air and thin blankets.
‘I am angry. This is how people who stand up for our planet and all life in this country are treated… Do I deserve it? Shall I deserve it?’
She added: “The only thing that quietly made me cry in my blanket was seven hours after I had the crushing thought that no one would be waiting for me outside.”
She said her immediate plans were to “rest, eat ice cream in bed and probably cry a lot.”
A white hatchback was parked sideways across two lanes of traffic – causing chaos for the thousands of people who use the tunnel every hour
Sleiman’s comments were criticized by NSW Police Secretary Paul Toole, who reprimanded the activist for expecting hotel treatment in custody.
“If these protesters are so concerned about their nutritional needs, they should heed the multiple warnings not to participate in illegal and unauthorized protests,” he said.
Isabel Sleiman was furious that the police were given a ‘non-vegan’ cheese sandwich to eat
Law-abiding citizens rightly expect these offenders to be arrested and held in police cells, to the delight of Her Majesty, not the Marriott.
“The patience of drivers trapped in their chaos is thinner than any blanket in the cells, and our hard-working police have done an amazing job disrupting their protests.
“These professional pests have been warned – if you don’t like the grains or fruits served in prison, stop your economic vandalism and get a real job.”
Sleiman was finally released from custody yesterday, but when she was released, fellow activist Mali Cooper was arrested again for allegedly violating her bail conditions.
Police stopped a car in Petersham and found her inside, allegedly in violation of her bail conditions which required her to return to Lismore and observe a 10pm-6am curfew.
Former teenage model Mali Cooper was arrested again on Tuesday and spent the night in jail after allegedly violating her bail conditions
Cooper, 22, was taken to Surry Hills Police Station for questioning and held overnight.
Her Sydney City Crime law firm tweeted: “Police today re-arrested our client, climate protester Mali Cooper, as she drove to Lismore around noon.
“The police had calculated that she would breach her bail because she would not arrive in Lismore in the evening. Oh please! Sorry Mali, back in their cold cells tonight.’
NSW Police declined to comment on Sleiman’s comments, but said they could file a complaint with the police station if they wished.