Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett performs at Newcastle protest against coal

Three protesters have been arrested during a climate protest at Newcastle on Saturday. Eight protesters paddled out into a shipping channel at the Port of Newcastle to try and stop a coal ship from leaving. The protesters entered the channel shortly before a coal ship was scheduled to leave about 1.30pm. NSW Police said on Saturday that three people - two men aged 27 and 60 and a 26 year-old woman - had been removed from the water and taken to Newcastle Police Station but had not yet been charged. “They are assisting police with their inquiries,” NSW Police said in a statement. “The police operation is ongoing and more information will be provided when it becomes available.” The protest is part of 10 days of action by climate activist group Rising Tide, which has seen thousands of people descend on the world’s largest coal port. Last year more than 100 people were arrested at the event, which organisers said was the largest civil disobedience for climate justice in Australia’s history. City of Newcastle Lord Mayor Dr Ross Kerridge released a statement earlier this month providing support for the event to go ahead at Camp Shortland, provided event organisers told people to stay of out of the shipping channel. The Lord Mayor said he expected event organisers to ensure any closure of the harbour was for the briefest possible time. Dr Kerridge said the event organisers had provided him their written commitment to use their best endeavours to ensure participants would obey police directions. “Specifically, this includes directing people to remain close to the shore and not enter the shipping channel, nor make movements that suggest they are attempting to get into the channel,” he said. “Rising Tide also committed to me they would direct people to follow police directions, and would warn participants of the consequences of likely arrest if they do not obey police.” Midnight Oil frontman and former Labor MP Peter Garrett performed at the protest with his bandmate guitarist Martin Rotsey. An environmentalist, Mr Garrett told the protesters what was happening with the climate was criminal negligence. “Is the real threat to the Hunter region a group of citizens exercising their democratic rights, or in continuing to export the materials that will burn the world up in a furnace?” he said. Other artists from across Australia were also expected to perform including John Butler, Gurridyula and Angie McMahon. NSW Police have been contacted for comment.