By Lachlan Abbott, Rachael Dexter, Alex Crowe, Cassandra Morgan and Sherryn Groch
Police blocked roads, patted down anti-war protesters and inspected bags outside a weapons expo in Melbourne during subdued demonstrations a day after violent clashes erupted between activists and police.
A lone protester was the first on the scene on Thursday morning, holding a silent vigil in front of police and media outside the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on day two of the Land Forces International Land Defence Expo.
Soon after, about 100 protesters marched down Spencer Street from Southern Cross Station. Chants of “Free, free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” echoed through the streets.
Protesters blocked traffic on Flinders Street, prompting police to blare their sirens to try to move the group along to Spencer Street Bridge. City roads remain closed from the Spencer and Flinders streets intersection to the corner of Clarendon and City roads in Southbank.
But instead of heading towards the weapons expo, demonstrators marched east down Flinders Street. Near the Immigration Museum on William Street, the convoy crossed under the rail viaduct and then over the Yarra River.
Hundreds of police kept the group – which swelled to about 200 at its peak – well away from the convention centre.
The confrontation on Southbank Promenade near Crown Casino.Credit: Eddie Jim
At 9.15am, the protesters confronted a wall of police in a brief stand-off outside Crown casino, just across from the expo entrance. Mounted police, officers wearing riot gear, federal police and NSW police were in attendance.
A man with a megaphone spoke as a demonstrator beside him waved a Palestinian flag. “We are not cowards like you, like Albanese, like the media,” the man said.
As authorities denied protesters access to Clarendon Street from Yarra Promenade, the group turned back, circled the casino and tried to get closer to the expo from the south.
At Whiteman Street, police searched backpacks and pockets, and an officer told the crowd that anyone wearing a face covering must leave the area. Metal-detecting wands were used to scan passers-by for weapons.
Anti-war protesters walk through Melbourne’s CBD, causing traffic disruption.Credit: Chris Hopkins
One protester, a young man who asked not to be named, said he had been searched three times in 15 minutes.
“I don’t know if it’s my presence alone, if it’s my height because I am a tall fella, but I’ve been searched about three times, and I’ve got nothing on me,” he said.
The young man claimed he was patted down, questioned repeatedly and ordered to “stop eyeballing” police. “I said, ‘I’m allowed to do that because that’s very legal.’ They’ve just been real aggressive for some reason,” he said.
Another protester was involved in a physical confrontation with the media. The demonstrator accused the television network’s security guard of assaulting him. “Don’t f---ing come in here and agitate people,” he yelled at a reporter.
A protester is searched on Thursday.Credit: Chris Hopkins
The crowd dispersed about 11am.
On the other side of the police ring of steel, lobbyists, weapons makers and military officials were perusing the wares on display.
A highlight on the day’s agenda was the Australian Army’s symposium. Chief general Simon Stuart said the recent Defence strategic review had rightly demanded more than just a rethink of military tactics but its culture too, as a profession trusted to fight Australia’s wars.
“It should not surprise anyone in this audience when I observe that we must do more to reflect on the sufficiency of our professional standards,” he said, adding that “the long shadow of Afghanistan” now lay over any army transformation.
Outside, the relatively peaceful scenes were a marked departure from the violence that flared the previous day.
On Wednesday, some protesters pelted police with horse faeces, rocks, eggs, beer bottles, tomatoes, and a liquid later detected to contain a mild acid.
Victoria Police defended its use of force, which included foam bullets, stun grenades, tear gas and pepper spray, to control the crowd.
Police estimated 1500 protesters were outside the expo on Wednesday, well short of the 20,000 authorities were expecting. Forty-two protesters were arrested, while 27 police officers required medical attention.
On Wednesday, mounted police forced protesters back to Spencer Street, where they set bins and rubbish on fire.Credit: Chris Hopkins
Protesters lit fires in bins and set up barricades, mainly around the Spencer Street Bridge on the CBD’s edge, as mounted police and armed officers dressed in riot gear stood opposite to prevent access to the convention centre.
Police Minister Anthony Carbines said officers had used extreme restraint. However, some legal groups have challenged this.
“Peaceful protest is always welcome and supported in our state,” Carbines said. “But if you found yourself caught up in what we saw yesterday, I think you’ve only got yourself to blame.”
He said the government was looking at expanding the use of designated areas in which police have greater powers to search and remove people. Further arrests could be made once footage of the protests had been reviewed, Carbines said.
“I’d urge all Victorians, when they see a member of Victoria Police, to thank them, to give them a thumbs up and tell them that they have Victoria’s support for their restraint.”
Fire Rescue Victoria is investigating reports a mild acid was thrown at officers. Disrupt Land Forces – a conglomerate protest group leading the action – said in a statement “butyric acid, a food additive made from dairy products, was also deployed”.
The police union described Wednesday’s scenes as “some of the most violent” protests officers had seen in decades.
“And since the World Economic Forum, we haven’t seen people bring this, for no apparent reason, to the police,” union boss Wayne Gatt told 3AW on Thursday morning.
Gatt said Wednesday’s turnout was “overwhelmingly” people looking for a fight rather than standing for a cause, and any cause had been lost in their actions.
Melbourne Activist Legal Support called police behaviour on Wednesday a “grossly excessive” response that probably infringed on human rights. In a statement released on Wednesday night, it said even independent legal observers and medics had been subjected to pepper spray and stun grenades and charged by police horses.
Although the group noted violent behaviour from some protesters, it said: “Legal observers noted that in most circumstances, protester behaviour became heightened after and in response to a coercive crowd control manoeuvre by the police or the use of police weapons.
“The behaviour of individual protesters does not justify excessive force against others, nor the use of force against entire crowds.”
Police are braced for more protests outside the weapons expo in Melbourne.Credit: Eddie Jim
The Australian Democracy Network said it was deeply concerned by reports that police had used capsicum spray against protesters lying on the ground and complying.
“The use of dangerous police weapons at protests escalates tensions and risks breaching Victoria Police’s human rights obligations,” campaigner Anastasia Radievska said on Thursday.
The Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service Co-operative said the right to protest was at the heart of Australia’s democracy and was protected under the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities. It said it had serious concerns about the police’s response on Wednesday.
“Police violence and brutality towards those exercising their right to have their voices heard is unacceptable,” the co-operative said. “We understand at least one complaint has been made to IBAC in respect of Victoria Police’s misconduct.”
Riot police watch on during a subdued a second day of protests outside a weapons expo in Melbourne.Credit: Eddie Jim
Disrupt Land Forces is calling for an end to weapons sales to Israel and an arms embargo.
“[Police] have attacked us with blows, kicks, and boots on our throats, tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets,” the group said in a social media post on Wednesday night.
Victorian Greens leader Ellen Sandell has called for an independent inquiry into police behaviour at the rally, particularly over the use of pepper spray.
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