FRANK 151: Two Australian Activists Face Criminal Charges for Projecting Pro-Cannabis Imagery Onto the Sydney Opera House
Aug 30, 2023
“In the legal domain, their voices remain, fighting for cannabis rights with no restrain”
Two Australian activists face criminal charges for projecting pro-cannabis messages onto the Sydney Opera House. After 16 months on bail, the duo will attend a court hearing on the 29th of August at Sydney’s Downing Centre. Alec Zammitt and Will Stolk are charged with projecting images of dancing cannabis leaves and other pro-weed images on the famed landmark on April 20, 2022, the cannabis community’s 4/20 high holiday.
Zammitt and Stolk allegedly utilized industrial projectors to beam the images onto the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the early hours of April 20 from the Park Hyatt Hotel.
The police raided the hotel suite where a projector was set up and both men were charged with offences related to “Distribution of advertisements, etc. on Opera House Premises,”. Similar legislation is associated with the Sydney Harbour Bridge, however, police have chosen not to pursue charges about that part of the demonstration.
Stolk and Zammitt argue that their actions did not form a commercial advertisement. Instead, the act was a constitutionally protected act of political communication. As well as a show of support for reform legislation being presided over in the New South Wales Parliament at the time. Although opting to drop their constitutional defense. “These public-friendly protests we are involved in cost us thousands and thousands of dollars out of pocket and we would rather spend our time and future budgets on furthering the cause rather than proving that this legislation is not applicable in this instance.” Said Alec
On August 29th, Stolk and Zammitt will face the courts for the fourth time relating to this matter.
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