Victoria Police ready for days of climate activists disrupting Melbourne CBD
Victoria Police is gearing up for days of mayhem as Extinction Rebellion protesters warn of widespread “splinter groups” disrupting Melbourne next week.
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Police are preparing for mayhem in Melbourne as Extinction Rebellion protesters threaten days of disruption.
Officers are bracing for the protests, which begin in Melbourne on Monday night and will include blockading central city streets, “swarming” key locations and action protesters expect will lead to arrests.
Victoria Police says its response will be “significant”.
North West Metro Region Commander Tim Hansen told the Herald Sun there would be a large number of easily seen police and others in “covert positions to ensure an agile response”.
He said the protesters had been speaking with police, but it had emerged there were “splinter groups” within the rebellion, which made it difficult for police to anticipate what level of disruption there would be.
A number of officers would be pulled in from suburban stations, which meant those areas wouldn’t be fully staffed. Mr Hansen was confident there would be enough officers in the suburbs but there was “no doubt” the protest was “cutting” into policing resources.
The Herald Sun can reveal police have used a human rights expert to better prepare frontline staff who will come face-to-face with protesters.
“It’s so we can have the confidence to make well-informed decisions,” Mr Hansen said.
Police respected the right of peaceful protest, but warned it came with responsibility not to cause harm to other members of the community.
“It’s not all just one way,” Mr Hansen said. “Everyone has a right to protest peacefully without impacting the rest of the community, who also have the right to go about their daily business.
“As always, anyone coming to an event in Melbourne looking to disrupt others or create conflict and incite violence can expect a firm response from police,” he said.
Extinction Rebellion spokeswoman Violet CoCo said a variety of action was planned.
“None of us want to be doing this, but we are in a climate emergency and we want the government to take action,” she said.
Ms CoCo said she expected a range of responses from Melburnians.
“This is a very progressive city and generally people are supportive of the message even if they don’t support our tactics.
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“But we are headed for climate chaos, so a small bit of disruption now will be nothing to compare to that.”
Blockades and swarming were planned throughout the week and there were days on which Ms CoCo expected arrests would be made.
She declined to give details about the exact nature of the prepared actions.