A magistrate has told Extinction Rebellion members to "rethink your strategy" and that "telling me your motivation for your conduct and how deeply it's felt" was not an option in court as six members admitted to defacing the John Gorton Building during a protest.
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Magistrate Beth Campbell's comments on Saturday came after she dealt with three of the defendants in the past week for similar charges arising from previous protests about climate issues.
The ACT Magistrates Court heard the protesters on Friday deliberately sprayed paint that spilled inside the building.
Some of the protesters also glued their hands onto the floor and fixtures in the building.
In a statement, police said search and rescue personnel attended to remove the people who had glued themselves.
In court, Nicholas Orde Jamison Abel, Ross Warren Brown, Mark Michael Conroy, Sarah "Daisy" Edwards, Lesley Michelle Mosbey and John Max Wurcker all pleaded guilty to defacing public property.
Eric Serge Herbert and Andrew George, in his early 30s, have not pleaded to the same charge.
The defendants, all self-represented and aged between 22 and 77, appeared via video link.
Mosbey, 59, who the court heard faced court only days ago, said she could not stop because "they're not fixing a climate emergency".
Ms Campbell replied: "I think you'll need to rethink your strategy if that's not working."
She told all defendants they could plead guilty or not guilty or have their matters adjourned.
"Telling me your motivation for your conduct and how deeply it's felt is not one of them (options)," she said to 77-year-old Abel, a retired environmental scientist.
Ms Campbell had to mute the video link when dealing with Herbert, 22, who began with a speech about climate issues and spoke over the magistrate.
"We're in an emergency. My generation, we are the last line of defence to stop the annihilation of our species," Herbert said, before being cut off.
Wurcker admitted to supergluing his hands to a surface in the building and said he wanted to plead guilty to "expedite things".
"I just want to acknowledge the huge property damage that climate change is causing," he said.
"I hope the courts at some stage will join in really averting the impeding catastrophe."
Ms Campbell said she accepted "you are all deeply and sincerely motivated in relation to your conduct".
"I've had discussion with Ms Mosbey before and I won't do it again with you about the legal, philosophical discourse of civil disobedience," she said.
"We all have our role to play but mine is to apply the law, alas."
A number of the defendants are also facing Commonwealth charges from previous protests.
All refused to accept bail from police and the ACT DPP did not oppose the dispensing of bail with Mosbey remaining on bail for a set of matters listed for hearing in January.
The six defendants who pleaded guilty will be sentenced on August 17 while the other two will front court again one week later.
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