Milo Yiannopoulos riots are the new reality in inner Melbourne

BOTTLES shatter on concrete and rocks rain down on police in riot gear as a crowd of youths yell insults and threats. This is not some Los Angeles or Johannesburg trouble spot — it’s inner-suburban Melbourne on a Monday night, writes Andrew Rule.

BOTTLES shatter on concrete and rocks rain down on police in riot gear as a crowd of youths chant and yell insults and threats.

Helicopters beat overheard in the dark, heard but unseen, as if watching over a battlefield.

The silent police carry clear perspex shields, long batons and capsicum spray cans.

POLICE POWERLESS TO EXPOSE MASKED THUGS

They look defensive and wary, rather than aggressive and angry; they stand in a disciplined line until lured into running forward to break up the milling rioters after a metal rubbish bin flies through the air and hits an officer, who is saved by his shield.

A policeman kicks a bottle back as it lands in front of him. Others use their shields to deflect rocks hurled by insolent young thugs showing off to each other 20m away.

Scenes of youth rampaging near the venue hosting Milo Yiannopoulos shocked Melburnians. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

This is not some north-African or middle-Eastern trouble spot — or Los Angeles or Soweto in bad times past.

It is inner-suburban Melbourne on a Monday evening this summer. The scene is jarring because it’s the sort of confrontation that until recently Australians saw only on foreign news broadcasts. And it’s not a demonstration so much as a reaction.

The riot police had arrived well before this. They had come late on that afternoon of December 4 to the Melbourne Pavilion in Kensington to keep the peace between left-wing protesters (against) and right-wing supporters (for) professional controversy-hunter Milo Yiannopoulos, booked to speak there that evening.

The Melbourne Pavilion is near where Racecourse Rd crosses the Moonee Creek under the Tullamarine freeway overpass — which happens to be exactly opposite the Debney’s Park public housing flats.

Protesters taunted police at the controversial right-wing figure’s event. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Police were powerless to unmask protesters at Melbourne Pavilion. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

These are high-rise flats that house hundreds of migrants — many from north Africa — and for years now the subject of carefully-worded warnings from local police to passers-by to be vigilant against muggers and thieves.

The flats, sometimes called “a suburb in the sky” at the centre of a “vibrant, multiracial community”, are a stone’s throw from the pavilion. Literally a stone’s throw, as it turns out.

It was an unfortunate choice of venue for a controversial speaker like Yiannopoulos because the certain presence of ultra-right stirrers — and their leftist counterparts — would set the scene for another mob of potential troublemakers to weigh in.

And that is exactly what happened, not that you would know it from the muted and one-sided official reaction to the events of that night.

The police had succeeded fairly well in keeping loonie lefties away from right-wing ratbags, all of which had the usual protest kit of loud hailers and placards and clothing signalling which side they’re on — much like football supporters, but less pleasant.

Rampaging youth attacked police when the protests spiralled out of control. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Youths from the nearby commission flats threw rocks and bottles at riot police. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

But, after the Yiannopoulos event ended and the older left and right protesters finished their routine and drifted away, trouble did not leave with them.

As night fell, a group of locals had emerged from the flats to join the fun.

This group was mostly youths “of African appearance”, some wearing masks despite a law against obscuring identities — a law framed to discourage violence in the streets.

MASKED RIOTERS FACE JAIL UNDER NEW LAWS

MASKED RALLY THUGS GET THE BOOT

All this is clearly shown on a five-minute video (shot by a freelance camera operator) handed to the Herald Sun this week.

The film shows in disturbing detail certain elements that senior police and the state government have been inclined to gloss over.

Here’s a masked youth ramming a stolen shopping trolley into the police, who do not retaliate.

Police were forced to used pepper spray to disperse protesters. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

There’s the metal bin being flung, which an alert officer deflects with his shield before it smashes into his head.

The whole time, there is the ugly crunch of shattering glass and rocks thumping the ground.

Two youths vault a low fence into a new children’s playground and run across it, taunting police who half-heartedly start to follow before falling back in line.

Several voices are heard apparently abusing the police, or perhaps a few loitering protesters. “Get your Nazis outta here — get the f--- outta here!” screams one.

Then there’s a quieter voice, that of a passer-by standing next to the cameraman, warning some other citizen: “Don’t go that way — they’re throwing rocks this way. Get down!”

So this is the new reality of Melbourne in the 21st century. A place where it is dangerous to walk down a busy street on a Monday evening.

No wonder judges are dining out in white enclaves like Mansfield and Barwon Heads. Apparently, there’s no trouble there yet.