Protestors have clamped themselves to light poles and fences and have climbed trees in a bid to prevent the landmark Laman Street figs being chopped down in Newcastle.
Council gained the upper hand this week in a long running debate over the preservation of the figs which stand in the way of precinct redevelopment plans.
Council administration argues the figs present a safety risk to the public and the elected council eventually voted down a potential resolution through independent safety testing.
Police have been called to remove protestors to allow contractors to begin cutting the trees down.
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A dark day for Newcastle, when we should be saving trees they are cutting them down. This would be unheard of in Europe, where they promote saving trees and are far more advanced than us with regard to the environment, a lady I spoke to said her German friends were in Newcastle and they were horrified about the whole thing. The contractors were rude, the police were rough and pushed people but there was so many people who came along and showed support and passing motorists were also very vocal in their support.