Melbourne teals split on condemning violent protesters
Zoe Daniel condemned the ‘atrocious’ behaviour of anti-war protesters but Kooyong MP Monique Ryan continued her silence.
Victorian teal independent Zoe Daniel has lashed the violent protests in Melbourne, saying they are “likely harmful to social cohesion” and that protesters should “consider the impact of their atrocious behaviour”.
On the other hand, member for Kooyong Monique Ryan – the second Melbourne-based teal independent – did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.
The action of some protesters in Melbourne on Wednesday has been roundly and forcefully condemned by major party political leaders, except those of the Greens. Some protesters threw acid, manure and rocks at police.
The “anti-war” protesters were rallying against the Land Forces expo, a defence industry exhibition.
Ms Daniel, whose electorate of Goldstein has one of the highest Jewish populations in the country, told The Weekend Australian that “peaceful protest is acceptable, violent protest is clearly not”.
“As I’ve said repeatedly, words and actions matter,” she said. “The nature of these protests is likely harmful to social cohesion which is at a critical tipping point and those protesting should consider the impact of their atrocious behaviour.”
There were 42 arrests and 27 police officers were injured on Wednesday. Protests continued on Thursday and Friday.
The protests were closely linked to pro-Palestine activists, with leaders yelling “all Zionists are terrorists”.
On Thursday, police said that protesters had squirted an irritant up the noses of some police horses and in visors of mounted police forces.
On Friday, NSW Greens senator David Shoebridge attended a sit-in protest at the expo and criticised the “extreme violence that came from the Victorian Police”.
“This is not Chicago 1968, this is Melbourne in 2024,” he said. “Who would have thought the state government, here to protect arms manufacturers, would be putting rubber bullets and stun grenades, police horses, capsicum spray and tear gas against their own people?”
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