Pro-Palestine protesters block roads across Melbourne
Police have arrested several pro-Palestine demonstrators after they allegedly tampered with traffic lights in inner-city Melbourne on Monday morning.
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Police have arrested several pro-Palestine demonstrators after they allegedly tampered with traffic lights in inner-city Melbourne on Monday morning.
Victoria Police said 14 people have so far been arrested, including 12 protesters who blocked Lorimer St in Port Melbourne about 8.30am.
“Two people have been arrested for criminal damage at the intersection of Victoria St and Nicholson St in Carlton just before 8am,” they said.
“Police will allege these two individuals were tampering with traffic lights at this intersection.”
It comes after hundreds of pro-Palestine demonstrators descended across Melbourne on Monday, causing chaos for early morning commuters.
Protesters targeted the steps of Parliament, Hoddle St, a defence facility in Port Melbourne and an intersection in Coburg.
Near Boeing’s Melbourne office in Port Melbourne, several protesters were arrested and four others who were chained on the road were removed, blocking a major city route. The road has since reopened.
Demonstrators situated at state parliament attempted to gather signatures for a petition against a new $917m contract awarded by the federal government to Israeli defence company Elbit Systems.
“A coalition of concerned citizens and organisations aims to gather thousands of signatures in a new petition to expel the arms company from Victoria,” a statement from the Elbit out of Victoria protesters said.
Protesters brought traffic on Collins St to stop about 10.30am, with more than 100 demonstrators blocking the road.
Seven police vehicles, including a public order response van, and about 30 officers where monitoring the demonstration.
Protesters sung “we’re people united, we’ll never be defeated,” while others played the drums.
Activists heading down Bourke St in Naarm/Melbourne@Umelb4Palestinepic.twitter.com/e5TuiNGkLy
— Scheherazade Bloul (@scherrybloul) April 14, 2024
Another 100 protesters were seen blocking the intersection of Bell St and Sydney Rd in Coburg, holding signs saying “disrupt the economy to disrupt the war machine”.
Others were seen holding signs and Palestinian flags at the Hoddle St, Eastern Freeway exit.
Others gathered outside BP’s Melbourne head office to protest against the companies gas and oil exploration in Palestine.
The group chanted “BP you can’t hide, you are fuelling genocide,” as they blocked the entrance to the companies office on Bourke St in Docklands.
In 2023, BP was granted an oil and gas exploration license by the Israeli government, alongside six other oil companies.
The group called for BP to “cut all economic ties with Israel” and “cancel its exploration licence”, to end its alleged “complicity in war crimes”.
Protesters clashed with police outside Southern Cross Station about 1pm, with officers pushing demonstrators back.
The intense exchange is understood to have been sparked after a police officer took a banner from protesters.
Public order response officers sprinted towards the incident as the group left BP’s head office.
Activists shouted “police brutality” as officers demanded protesters move back.
They staged a “lie in” outside the station, leaving police to redirect traffic.
Frustrated commuters beeped their horns as about 100 protesters blocked motorists from travelling along Bourke St and Spencer St.
Protesters also brought trams to a halt as they walked along the tracks.
One frustrated tram user said he simply wanted to get home after starting his work day about 4am, but banked up trams were preventing him.
“I’ve had a crappy day at work, I just want to get home, go and unwind and hit the gym,” the plumber said.
“Everyone’s got a life to live, it’s all well and good to protest but there’s other ways to get your point across not disrupting the whole place.”
Groups are expected to attempt to block the A.W Bell factory in Dandenong South as well as the Deakin University Geelong campus.
An organiser for the state wide demonstrations said the Australian government has continued to ignore their calls to sever economic ties with Israel.
“For six months … we’ve witnessed atrocity after atrocity,” she said.
“We have rallied, we’ve petitioned, we’ve lobbied, to make the so called government listen.
“They have decided to ignore us so far.
“If they will ignore our voice … we’re going to hurt them where they are going to listen, which is in their pockets.”
Another protest leader said “this community action is the first of many”.
The protests scattered across the state, part of international activist group A15 Action, called on supporters to block major roads, ports and entrances to weapon manufacturing factories with ties to Israel, in an attempt to “disrupt the economy”.
“In each city, we will identify and blockade major choke points in the economy, focusing on points of production and circulation with the aim of causing the most economic impact,” their website states.
Disrupt Wars and Wage Peace spokesperson Zelda said protests against weapon manufacturers are expected to last all week.
“My main condemnation is for the Australian Government that they are continuing to supply arms to a genocidal regime,” she told 3AW.
“Israel is bombing Gaza and starving two million people. Half of those people are children.
“We don’t want weapons being manufactured in our backyard. Our taxes are going to corporations to make weapons that will be made to harm people.”
Organisers encouraged protesters to “keep each other safe” by not co-ordinating with the police.
Victoria Police previously confirmed that it would be forced to “pull resources from a number of regional police stations” to ensure public safety.
Organisers of the protests argue global pressure on western economies is required to bring an end to the Gaza conflict, which began on October 7 last year.
The blockade plans in Melbourne are part of a global movement involving at least 30 international cities.
Pro-Palestinian groups have held regular protests at the Port of Melbourne in their attempt to prevent the movement of ships carrying cargo linked to Israeli companies.
In January a woman was arrested and pepper sprayed as protesters clashed with police at the port in their attempt to disrupt a ship owned by Israeli company ZIM.
Protest group Free Palestine Melbourne has held weekly rallies and marches in the CBD in front of the State Library for more than six months, with some attracting more than 50,000 people.
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