Land Force Expo protesters face Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on affray charges

A Magistrate has told police she is not confident they have enough in their case against several protesters who allegedly intimidated delegates outside a weapons expo last year.

Jasmine Duff leaves the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday after a contest mention regarding the Land Forces Expo protest in Melbourne last September. Picture: NewsWire/Ian Currie

A magistrate has told police she doesn’t like their chances in their case against several protesters after poor quality footage of the alleged offending was played in court.

It comes as anti-war protesters Sam Eggleston, Charlotte Nunn, James Gallagher and Jasmine Duff — the national co-convener of the Students for Palestine movement — appeared at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday charged with affray, relating to protests at the Land Forces weapon expo in September last year.

Ms Duff, 27, is also the lower house Victorian Socialists federal candidate for Fraser.

Jasmine Duff (on the right) outside the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday Picture: NewsWire/Ian Currie

Police allege the quartet was among a larger group that cornered and intimidated delegates from the event on the bridge outside the Convention Centre.

At the contest mention for the group on Tuesday, police showed two videos — including CCTV and police bodycam footage — of protesters outside the exhibition centre where hundreds could be seen gathered around one corner of the bridge, where police allege they cornered two delegates.

While the footage was played to the court a police prosecutor stood at the screen, pointing out and describing the four accused and the delegates as they appeared.

Victoria Police on duty during the Land Forces Expo protests in Melbourne in September 2024 Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

But defence lawyers disputed police aiding the court identify the accused, claiming it was “impermissible for an informant to say this is this person,”

Magistrate Donna Bakos — who watched the footage from her clerk’s laptop — agreed that she “didn’t know” if anyone could identify the accused from the video.

“I saw a lot of people milling around,” she said.

“But the question is though is there sufficient evidence to identify that’s who it is without anyone saying?

“All in all I don’t think you’ll get there ... I’m not sure you’ll get to a level of affray because each person needs to engage in the conduct is what I’m saying.

“It looks like everyone there was part of the affray. I don’t know if you can isolate people or if I’d be able to ... there may be others whose actions are identifiable but I don’t know if I can attribute that conduct to the accused here today.”

The court heard one of the delegates — who was from Germany — told police he was “terrified” after the alleged incident.

Police told the court they would call on the two delegates if the matter went to a contested hearing.

The matter was adjourned for special mention on March 18.