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Police and protesters clashed in Melbourne as demonstrations against the Ground Forces Weapons Exhibition saw scores of anti-war activists gather outside the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Loud bangs were heard in the CBD as police deployed flash distraction devices.
They also used capsicum spray, tear gas and rubber bullets.
Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said 24 police officers were injured and he called protesters hypocrites for resorting to violence when they say they are against the war.
“I hope that some of these groups will step away from today and reflect on their conduct and think that if they are really trying to advance their cause, if they are really against war, then they are against violence and that This is not how they are going to get support We will be ready for any event during the duration of this conference, this exhibition.
Victoria Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt says the anti-war protesters left with the intention of inciting violence and says he does not understand their motivations.
“I don’t know what or for what reason, to be completely frank, but one thing is for sure, they came there with the intention of being violent from the moment our members stood out on that line .They “They were subjected to horrible behavior. They were subjected to dirty and filthy behavior from these animals. “
But the demonstrators claim to have been brutalized by the police.
This demonstrator, who spoke to journalists with a bloody face, claims that the police used disproportionate force.
“I mean, I think it was obviously an exaggerated response. I think it was very disproportionate. I mean, I won’t mince words at all. The protesters were largely peaceful. Obviously, there were symbolic demonstrations. There were shouts, there were signs, but the police had weapons. They had rubber bullets. I saw the police throwing tear gas canisters directly at the crowd. I was on the front lines when the horses walked into the crowds where fires had been set, and the horses were actively pushing people towards the fires. I saw peaceful protesters being tackled, grabbed and dragged into lines. as if they did nothing.
The Land Forces Exhibition is a major arms exhibition that hosts high-level international military, defense, government, scientific and industrial delegations from around the world.
One protester, Miriam, said she came from Sydney with friends to attend.
“People from all over Australia have come to show off the weapons they have. We know they are being used to kill the Palestinian people and as we can witness the genocide and massacres happening 24 hours a day in Palestine. , we’re gathered here from all over Australia I’m from Sydney and I flew here with a few friends to say this is wrong and we don’t accept it and we’re going to push it back until. until this stops, we “We have to do it. We have been on the streets for 11 months and we have not been heard.”
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said anyone showing violence will be apprehended.
“And I say to everyone that anyone who threatens the police and the safety of the community will absolutely be dealt with by Victoria Police. There is the right to protest peacefully, of course. But to behave in such a disgraceful way towards members of Victoria Police, who are doing their job, doing their job to protect the safety of the community.”
Richmond Greens MP Gabrielle de Vietri was also at the protests, drawing criticism from the prime minister and the opposition leader.
The Victorian Greens are now calling for an independent investigation into what they say was “excessive force” by police.
The police presence at the protest was the largest at a protest in Melbourne in two decades.
Jacinta Allan says the Greens MP was not doing the job she was elected to do.
“So, MPs are elected to sit in parliament. When parliaments are sitting, it is rightly their responsibility and duty to report to parliament. And as an MP, it is an absolute privilege to represent your community , and the way you represent your community, the way you are the voice of your community, is by showing up at the sittings of Parliament. That’s what you’re not elected to do. introduce yourself and participate in political operations for your own divisive political goals.
But Gabrielle de Vietri says participating in the protest to support her community is part of her job.
“That’s my job. My job is to listen to my community and do the right thing, and I was elected to stand up for what’s right, and that’s exactly what I’m doing here today. I represent the voice of the hundreds of thousands of people in my electorate and elsewhere who want to see an end to Victoria’s complicity in war crimes, who want to see an end to violence and war, and that is exactly what what I’m doing here today, attending. events, and they attend meetings outside Parliament all the time during sitting weeks, which is no different.”
