The decision to chop off a “350-year-old” tree considered sacred to indigenous peoples has sparked outrage, with one senator comparing the situation to the movie Avatar.

About 50 protesters were arrested on Tuesday near Ararat, western Victoria, after bulldozers arrived to clean up the site and make way for an extension of the highway from Melbourne to Adelaide.

Local protesters say indigenous Djab Wurrung women traditionally went to the “tree of directions” to give birth, comparing it to a church or place of worship.

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About 50 protesters were arrested on Tuesday near Ararat, western Victoria, after bulldozers arrived to clean up the site and make way for an extension of the highway from Melbourne to Adelaide.

Protest groups have been camping at the site since 2018 in an effort to save “culturally significant” trees that stood in the way of the Victorian government’s Western Highway development project.

But on Monday, the slaughter of a particular yellow boxwood made headlines around the world and on Tuesday, police intervened to chase protesters from the heritage protection embassy of Djab Wurrung.

“Police have removed protesters from restricted areas throughout the day to ensure the safety of everyone in the region as highway construction continues between Buangor and Ararat without any injuries being reported,” Victoria Police told Daily Mail Australia in a statement.

“About 50 arrests were made in connection with Tuesday’s demonstration, including around 40 demonstrators arrested for refusing to leave a restricted area and for failing to follow the instructions of the Chief Medical Officer of Health. Each of these people was released pending a summons.

“Ten other protesters were arrested for obstructing police at the protest site.”

Police said they were taken to Ararat police station and charged with offenses including intentionally obstructing an emergency service worker on duty, refusing to leave a restricted area and failure to follow the instructions of the Chief Medical Officer of Health.

A large contingent of police are pictured at the site where protesters try to prevent further construction of the West Highway.

A protester is pinned to the ground by police and placed under arrest

Green Senator Lidia Thorpe, the first Indigenous woman elected to the Victorian parliament, lambasted the Labor government for cutting down the tree on the same day it announced that state restrictions on coronaviruses would be relaxed.

“Today Dan Andrews felled an ancient ancestor tree. The people and country of Djab Wurrung have been raped again. They couldn’t kill us, so they will kill whatever keeps us alive, “she posted on Twitter, comparing the incident to the movie Avatar.

“So if you liked the movie Avatar, you might like what it feels like when your sacred ancestor trees are cut down by the very government that wants to make a treaty with us. Absolutely drained and feel the pain of our ancestors right now, ”she said.

Despite the outcry, the Victorian government stands firm and says no tree is ever cut down without the consent of representatives of the 12 families that make up the Djab Wurrung people.

The ‘directions tree’ fell on the same day Mr Andrews announced that coronavirus restrictions would be relaxed

The tree, which is sacred to the Djab Wurrung people, is pictured being taken away in a truck

Victoria’s Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan told the ABC the tree that was identified in media reports on Tuesday, commonly referred to as the “Fiddleback Tree,” has been implicated in several cultural investigations involving Djab Wurrung elders and has not been assessed as being culturally significant.

“In fact, the tree has been assessed by an arborist as being ‘maybe over 100 years old’ and it is very unlikely to predate European settlement,” she said.

“The orientation tree that was identified in the Federal Court proceeding is at the north end of the range almost 10 kilometers away. It was not deleted and will not be.

The Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation has negotiated with Mr. Andrews’ government on the issue and last year a list of 250 “culturally important” trees has been erected.

According to the group, the tree felled on Monday was not on that list.

Daily Mail has contacted the Djab Wurrung Heritage Protection Embassy for comment.

Green Senator Lidia Thorpe, the first Indigenous woman elected to the Victorian parliament, slammed the Labor government

“The tree has been assessed by an arborist as being ‘maybe over 100 years old’ and it is very unlikely to predate European settlement,” the Victorian government said.