Mali Poppy Cooper Wiki
Mali Poppy Cooper Biography
Who is Mali Poppy Cooper ?
The young woman who brought Sydney to a standstill by blocking a major road and chaining herself to the wheel once went on to pursue a career as a glamorous teen model.
Mali Poppy Cooper, 22, was once a budding catwalk star in her teens and she was on the books of a modeling agency until she went bankrupt five years ago.
She appeared in various ad campaigns and fashion photo shoots and was even in a pop video before becoming an eco-extremist.
But on Monday, far from starring in a pin-up, Cooper was pinned down by police after she allegedly held up Sydney traffic during rush hour.
Cooper is accused of parking a white rental hatchback diagonally across from the entrance to the busy Sydney Harbor Tunnel, causing a 20-kilometre queue of traffic and sparking widespread fury in Harbor City.
He even livestreamed his Blockade Australia protest from his phone in the car as angry passengers shouted insults at him for the rush hour delays he caused.
Video
In one video, Cooper could be seen wearing a heavy-duty bicycle lock around her neck that was tied to the steering wheel to prevent police attempts to easily remove her from the front of the tunnel.
Specialists from the Police Rescue unit finally had to free her before she was dragged from the car and held face down on the tarmac while she was arrested and taken to a cell along with five other women and four male protesters.
Cooper, 22, appeared at Central Local Court via video link on Tuesday, where he was released under strict conditions that he return to his home near Lismore in northern New South Wales, and complied with curfew between 10 p.m. m. and 6 a.m. m.
Arrested and Charged
She was one of 10 Blockade Australia activists charged with multiple offenses of obstructing and disrupting Sydney’s central business district on Monday. Another 11 were arrested during similar protests on Tuesday.
In court, Cooper’s attorney, Mark Davis, acknowledged that her alleged crime was more serious than others in the group. But he said she had strong family support with her grandmother and her aunt present in court, and that she had no criminal record.
Davis said the condition — she must report to police three times a week, not enter the Sydney CBD or contact her co-defendant — would be enough to make her “reconsider protest activities.”
Just six years ago, the lanky 5-foot-2 Cooper was a fresh-faced teenager who hoped her distinctive look could break the cutthroat world of modeling.
Mali reportedly began livestreaming the protest on Monday when an angry driver approached her window and began verbally abusing her with a series of profanities before driving off.
“You’re screwing up everyone’s day,” she yells. ‘Get out of the way!’
Mali, unperturbed, continued to look at the camera before replying, “I would tell this man that I am with you.” It is for you, it is for your family that we do this.’
She organized her alleged protest as dozens of Blockade Australia protesters marched through the streets of the CBD, disrupting traffic and clashing with police.
A fed up driver was filmed driving her car through the crowd, forcing people out of his way with a protester banging on the hood of the car as they were pushed back.
Mali, who complained about the weather destruction on her live stream, then drank water from a plastic bottle as her protest continued across town.
“The police are here,” she said into the camera. ‘I’m not sure if you can see. Thanks to all who have listened.
I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to hold onto this phone and this space. It’s a big day ahead.
She then looked out the window to see the police officers surrounding her car before the angry traveler returned to her car.
The traveler yelled at her that she was “fucking selfish,” then yelled a line at her about “jail” that’s so obscene it can’t be published.
Mali kept looking at her phone and tried to ignore the traveler who was insulting her.
The traveler then walked away from her before Mali urged her bystanders to join her cause.
‘Come and stand together. Find your voice,’ she said.
A police officer then approached her window and politely asked for her identification, before she finished the video.
More protests broke out in Sydney on Tuesday with 11 arrests, but disruptions are unlikely to continue on Wednesday.
A message posted on the Blockade Australia Telegram channel on Tuesday night read: “We have called for tomorrow to be a day off.”
“We want people to have the opportunity to rest, regroup and support each other, as well as connect with those who share our common purpose of resisting climate destruction.”
Mali Poppy Cooper Quick and Facts
- Woman accused of Blockade Australia roadblock is ex-model turned activist
- She was a teen catwalk queen with hopes of a career in the fashion industry
- But on Monday she was swapped being a pin up for being pinned down by police
- She was arrested for allegedly causing massive rush hour chaos in Sydney CBD
