Land Forces Expo chaos: acrid smell of gas as Melbourne mob attacks police

A fiery protest at Melbourne’s Land Forces Expo saw clashes and police horses forced through flames and chaos.

A protester is detained by police near the Melbourne Convention centre on Wednesday. Picture: Mohammad Alfares

It was still before 6am, but the keenest protesters were already there. So were the police. Plenty of them.

The day started relatively ­quietly between the two sides with a few skirmishes before things ­escalated rapidly mid-morning as those attending the first day of the Land Forces 2024 Expo looked to enter the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.

The protest turned nasty, with attendees heckled and police determined to crack down hard to keep attendees safe.

Fairly quickly, the air reeked of the acrid smell of gas; there were a series of frightening explosions; and large police horses made their presence felt.

Masked, scarfed and face-painted protesters scattered across the city like a poorly organised flash mob, seemingly determined to wreak havoc.

They descended en masse on to Melbourne’s West Gate Freeway, bringing traffic to a halt.

Some began climbing aboard trucks, throwing objects at the roads. The Australian witnessed attacks on members of the public.

One unlucky truck driver found himself as the unwilling star of the show, stuck in his cab while protesters turned his empty trailer into a makeshift stage, waving signs and chanting as if it was their concert debut.

Things reached a crescendo when some protesters attempted to breach the temporary fencing at the Exhibition Centre, only to be met by a heavy police ­contingent.

Cue the capsicum spray and noisy flashbangs.

Some of the protesters ­responded by picking up horse dung and lobbing it at police as if they were playing an extreme ­version of dodgeball.

Bins were set alight.

At this point, the riot police had enough. They capsicum spray smelled like Satan’s own deodorant and burnt the eyes, while flashbangs cracked like thunder, leaving ears ringing and the streets looking like a scene out of a disaster movie.

Police horses were even forced to walk through the fires as ­protesters hurled debris at the poor animals. By the end of it all, nearly 40 people had been ­arrested, and 24 police were treated for injuries.

The worst troublemakers were hauled away, leaving behind others to stew in their frustration – or maybe just get stuck in traffic like everyone else.

As the rain began to pour, it mercifully washed away the rancid stench of the OC spray, and the protesters along with it.

What was left of the crowd scattered, leaving the drenched streets to the police, the horses, and the lingering whiff of chaos.