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11 months ago
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EXCLUSIVE
A dozen grey-haired climate activists showed up at the office of a conservative think tank and defaced the building's interiors before hanging eviction notices on every wall.
The mostly mature-aged members of Extinction Rebellion (XR) stormed into the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) at 131 Macquarie Street, Sydney, about 2pm on Thursday and spray painted on the portico and in the lobby.
The group of radical retirees has accused the CIS of receiving funding from the US-based Atlas Foundation which has ties to fossil fuel industry lobbyists.
A CIS spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that employees had to call the police on the 'misguided' protesters after they refused to leave and that one demonstrator was tackled to the ground by officers.
'It's a conspiracy fairy tale that we were founded by the Atlas Foundation and are funded by the Atlas Foundation,' the spokesperson said.
'Neither is true, but it's a fairy tale that seems to have become popular among the misguided over the past month or so.'
A dozen mostly mature-aged climate activists from Extinction Rebellion descended on the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney armed with spray paint and eviction notices
The group defaced the building's portico and lobby with graffiti at 2pm on Thursday
NSW police arrived within 15 minutes and arrested two protesters, aged 35 and 76
An eyewitness said the group mostly consisted of 'very polite looking retirees' and a younger woman with orange hair who was throwing paint on windows outside.
The younger woman was armed with a carton of drained eggs which had been re-filled with paint and thrown towards the offices on level one.
Inside the building an elderly woman, Trish, graffitied 'CIS = Atlas Network = fossil fuel $$$ = climate lies dressed as the truth' in orange paint on the lobby floor.
Trish was also seen hanging eviction notices throughout the building which were 'filed by the plaintiff Extinction Rebellion and Friends' against CIS and lodged in the 'Justice Court of public opinion'.
Grounds for eviction included 'aggressive lobbying', branding climate activists as 'terrorists' and CIS' alleged role in the continued support of fossil fuel industries.
The CIS spokesperson said several protesters briefly tried to access the building's first floor office space but were thwarted by a security door.
Outside orange and yellow spray paint was used to write similar messages as several members stood at the bottom of the steps and preached to passers-by.
Police responded to the reports of damaged property after employees inside the building initially tried negotiating with the activists to stop what they were doing.
Officers arrived within 15 minutes of the call and quickly arrested two women, aged 35 and 76, who are now assisting police with their inquiries.
Other protesters were searched by police outside the building before the group was disbanded and made to move on.
One protester, Trish, was seen actively graffitiing the interior of the lobby and hanging several eviction notices on walls
The notice of eviction is pictured put up by protesters is pictuerd
A CIS spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that the protesters were peddling 'a conspiracy fairy tale' and that there are more productive ways to protest fossil fuels
Police searched the group's belongings before disbanding them and leaving CIS employees to deal with the wreckage
The CIS spokesperson said that they were still trying to remove the graffiti as the office closed at 5:30pm and that they had no idea how to reach the splatters from the egg bombs that were plastered on the level one office windows.
The Centre for Independent Studies is a think tank nestled among prominent buildings including the NSW Parliament and the Opera House.
It was founded in 1976 and consists of academics who group together to produce research that goes on to influence public policy.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Extinction Rebellion for comment.
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