Lily D’Ambrosio describes pro-Palestine CBD blockade as ‘generally quite peaceful’
Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio has described a chaotic pro-Palestine protest in which multiple arrests were made after a major city intersection was blocked as “generally quite peaceful”.
A senior Victorian minister has described a chaotic pro-Palestine protest in which multiple activists were arrested after blocking a major CBD intersection as “generally quite peaceful”.
Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio made the comments in response to a protest on Thursday in which student activists had to be carried away by police after blocking the intersection of Flinders and Swanston streets.
“Certainly the police did a good job yesterday and we saw on the whole that the protest was generally quite peaceful,” she said.
Ms D’Ambrosio also shut down any suggestion that move on powers should be beefed up to help police move people on who block roads and public streets.
“People do have a right to protest,” she said.
“Of course, we expect that protests are .. undertaken peacefully.”
About 300 students took part in the protest which began at the State Library around 2pm and moved south along Swanston St.
Hundreds of Monash, University of Melbourne, RMIT, Swinburne and La Trobe students chanted “intifada” and “we won’t be moved” as they sat on the intersection of Flinders and Swanston streets.
Student activist Bella Beiraghi was among the four people removed by the Public Order Response team.
Footage shows Beiraghi being told to move along as she sits cross legged out the front of Flinders Street station before being picked up by the arms and legs by three officers.
In a post to social media students for Palestine Australia labelled the police response as “an attack on civil liberties”.
“They carried away a young Jewish member of Students for Palestine whose family members were killed in the Holocaust, a high school student and other SFP activists including Melbourne university student Bella Beiraghi,” the post read.
“We know that we have the right to demonstrate, this is an attack on civil liberties”.
Richmond state Greens MP Gabrielle De Vietri was also in attendance, posting to social media that she was “honoured to join students walking out for Palestine today”.
The students demanded universities cut ties with weapons companies, stop the repression of Palestine activists and to sanction Israel.
It comes as hundreds of students from major cities including Sydney, Canberra and Adelaide also marched in protest as part of a national strike for Palestine.
The protest was endorsed by Free Palestine Melbourne, National Union of Students, Free Gaza Australia and a number of other pro-Palestine groups.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said about 300 protesters marched from the State Library to Flinders Street before blocking the intersection.
“One male was moved on for breaching the peace and five protesters were arrested for obstructing the roadway,” she said.
Those arrested are expected to be charged on summons.
