Construction workers’ anti-vaccine protest turns violent at CFMEU Melbourne headquarters
Several people have been arrested following the violent rally at CFMEU headquarters in Melbourne’s CBD, with police vowing to track down as “many of those in attendance as possible”.
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Wild scenes erupted outside the CFMEU city office on Elizabeth St on Monday, where about 500 protesters turned on the union, furious it had not done more to oppose mandatory vaccine rules.
Police arrested several people at what they labelled an “increasingly hostile” protest and have vowed to track down as “many of those in attendance as possible”.
A police spokeswoman said they “will not tolerate this sort of activity and all those identified will be fined for breaching the Chief Health Officer’s directions”.
She said they “secured the area with a focus on public order and the safety of the general community”.
“As the afternoon progressed the crowd grew increasingly hostile, specialist units attended the scene and crowd control equipment was deployed,” the spokeswoman said.
The protesters attempted to storm the building, kicking in doors, smashing glass and brawling as they rounded on leader John Setka.
The union accused “outside extremists” of manipulating its members, saying the angry mob had been “infiltrated by neo-Nazis”.
“They’re not really unionists, they’re just the scum of the earth as far as I’m concerned,” Mr Setka said.
“Those drunken fascist un-Australian morons are the reason construction workers will be sitting at home and not getting paid for at least the next 2 weeks.”
The protesters had chanted “f--- the jab” and that Mr Setka was “Dan Andrews’ bitch” after the shocked union attempted to calm the growing crowd.
“Stop calling Dan my mate, I’ve never met the bloke,” Mr Setka said.
“Understand this. I have fought so hard to keep this industry going so everyone can keep working.
“So you want us to shut the whole industry down?”
The question prompted cheers and a “shut it down” chant as the protesters abused Mr Setka, pelted him with crates and water bottles and surged towards the doors of the office.
Security guards pulled him inside to safety, as shop stewards and other staff intervened in the brawl and pushed the crowd back.
Many people inside the building were treated for broken hands and head injuries from being hit with bottles.
Tensions have escalated in the city on Elizabeth St with multiple flares going off and riot police armed with non-fatal guns facing off against protestors. @theheraldsunpic.twitter.com/dcu5cethth
— Sarah Booth (@sarahbooth_14) September 20, 2021
The clean up begins. The protests have finished for now and the number of police on scene has dramatically decreased. @theheraldsunpic.twitter.com/4ErSSA7epp
— Sarah Booth (@sarahbooth_14) September 20, 2021
The day descended into chaos and violence as the crowd turned on itself and others tried to force their way into the building.
Police fired rubber pellets and flares were lit as tensions escalated about 5.30pm.
Premier Daniel Andrews had earlier threatened to clamp down on construction if the industry didn’t comply with tough rules.
“There’d be a whole bunch of people who are at home because their industry is shut, and they’d be scratching their heads,” Mr Andrews said.
The violent clash was promoted by “Melbourne Freedom Rally”, the same protest group behind Saturday’s ugly anti-lockdown demonstration in Richmond.
Some members of the group are considered to be hardcore protesters, who attend demonstrations with the intention of unleashing violence.
Dylan Goddard, a prominent member of the Mongols outlaw motorcycle gang nicknamed “the Destroyer”, was also there.
One man said he was there because he believed in “freedom of choice” and wanted control over what went into his body.
But he also referred to myths circulated by Covid conspiracy theorists.
In a statement, the CFMEU executive said the union had fought to keep the industry open through the pandemic and did not support mandatory vaccination.
“We have been consistent in this the entire time, ensuring members will be represented should their employment be adversely affected,” the statement read.
“We are not going to be intimidated by outside extremists who are manipulating members and attempting to intimidate the union, and spreading misinformation about the union’s position.”
In a statement on Monday night, the Victorian Building Industry Group of Unions called restrictions placed on the industry last week, including the mandatory vaccination rule and bans on tea rooms and metropolitan workers travelling to the regions, “heavy handed”.
“We have pointed out that these hastily written restrictions will lead to discontent, anger and division within the industry and we will continue to campaign against them,” they said.
Earlier in the day, unions including the CFMEU had pushed to still receive eight hours of pay while working six hours, as they sought an agreement to keep operating under restrictions.
A ban on lunch breaks in tea rooms was a major sticking point and the pay deal would have allowed work to continue without needing breaks.
But the discussion was called off when employees began walking off job sites and the state government decided a full shutdown was required.
Sources insisted the violent protests outside the CFMEU offices did not influence the decision to shut down the industry but hesitation around vaccination was a key issue.
Vaccine hesitancy is higher in the construction sector than in any other industry, according to new research from the Melbourne Institute.
A survey completed earlier this month found 35 per cent of construction workers were unwilling to be vaccinated or unsure if they would get their vaccination, compared with 37 per cent who were vaccinated and 28 per cent who were willing to be.
Two thirds of construction workers said they would support compulsory vaccination rules for their industry, while 22 per cent opposed and 7 per cent were neutral.
The latest violent riots came after criticism of Victoria Police’s handling of Saturday’s anti-lockdown protest, during which rank and file members, including new recruits, were attacked and trampled by a mob.
Ten officers were injured and another officer who attended said the decision not to deploy Public Order Response Team members to the frontline was “f---ed”.
Federal Attorney-General Michaelia Cash said the violence was “completely unacceptable”.
“Violence and thuggery have no place in the construction sector, whether it is on a building site or outside a union office,” she said.
With evidence of construction sites facing a higher risk of Covid-19 transmission, Senator Cash urged everyone in the industry to “get vaccinated as soon as they can”.
“Vaccines are safe, free and effective. They remain our only pathway to more freedoms and reopening Australia’s economy,” she said.
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