Anti-war, anti-Israel protesters back on Melbourne streets after a day of chaos and violence
Police have accused anti-war, anti-Israel protesters of deliberately spraying substances into police horses’ noses and bringing marbles to cause them to lose their footing during this week’s protests.
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Protesters deliberately sprayed substances into police horses’ noses and brought marbles to cause them to lose their footing during this week’s anti-war, anti-Israel protests, police say.
Following a day of carnage in Melbourne’s CBD on Wednesday when demonstrators stormed the Land Forces conference, about 150 protesters returned to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Thursday.
Police say they seized red paint, rocks and marbles from protesters, who in suspected shock acts of animal cruelty were believed to have brought the items to create obstacles for the horses working in the force’s mounted branch.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said several police horses had suffered skin irritation from the substances sprayed under their protective face shields and into their noses.
Officers tasked with cleaning the horses following their shift also showed signs of skin irritation, and the bulletproof vests and riding pants they were wearing were contaminated and had to be thrown out.
It comes as investigators probe an assault on a 47-year-old man who had urine and faeces tipped on him as he tried to enter the event near the Spencer St bridge about 9.20am on Wednesday.
He suffered minor injuries during the ordeal but did not require treatment.
In addition to the 42 protesters arrested on Wednesday, five people were arrested during Thursday morning’s demonstration.
They include a 19-year-old Marong man who allegedly resisted police and a 23-year-old man from Sunbury who copped a penalty notice for carrying a flick knife.
A 27-year-old man from Macleod was also arrested for carrying a modified hockey stick, while two men, a 44- and 54-year-old, were arrested during the protest over unrelated matters.
On Thursday afternoon, the activists reignited their disruptive protests in the CBD, after the morning’s rally fizzled out.
Several hundred protesters descended on the Bourke St head office of Korean weapons manufacturer, Hanwha, where they chanted “stop arming Israel” and “shame”.
Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and placards that branded the weapons conglomerate, which once specialised in making explosives, as “merchants of genocide”.
Uniformed police officers surrounded the protesters and were stationed above ground in surrounding buildings.
One activist who addressed the crowd described Wednesday’s violent demonstration near the Spencer St bridge as “amazing”, despite two dozen police officers suffering injuries while attempting to control the violent crowd.
On Thursday night, Burgertory restaurant chain boss Hash Tayeh addressed a crowd of protesters who sat in the middle of the road.
Mr Tayeh said: “Tonight we stand together not only in grief but in unwavering defiance.”
“You have put yourselves on the line to challenge the corporate defence giants.
“This genocide is not only being carried out by the hands of the Israeli military, but it is also made possible by the weapons and dollars of the United States and other complicit governments like Australia.”
Push for extra police powers
The Coalition has called for extra powers for police to force protesters suspected of violence to remove face masks and coverings anywhere and at any time.
The chaotic protest on Wednesday has generated fresh calls from the opposition to reintroduce move-on powers to stop violent protesters evading police.
Opposition Leader John Pesutto said Victoria Police needed “wider powers” to shut down violence, including the ability to force activists to remove face masks and coverings outside designated areas if cops suspect they are concealing their identity to commit a crime.
“(Wednesday’s) protests in Melbourne were a disgrace,” he said.
“We need to give Victoria Police wider powers in the case of violent protests where they can order people to remove face coverings without the restrictions.”
Under extra powers delivered to police by the government, officers can request protesters remove their masks in special zones.
“We want a wider set of provisions because the violence is getting worse,” Mr Pesutto said.
He said the Coalition were also exploring a permit system for protests.
As revealed by the Herald Sun earlier this year, Victoria Police have requested that the government bring in a new permit to protest scheme in a bid to crackdown on violent rallies.
The request was quickly shut down by Premier Jacinta Allan.
“We understand the complexities of a permit system, but we want to investigate that, because things are reaching a crisis point,” Mr Pesutto said.
Police Minister Anthony Carbines said the government was exploring expanding police powers following Wednesday’s ugly scenes.
“People who think they can wear masks and goggles and try and hide themselves have claimed to be there as peaceful protesters, clearly don’t want to be identified, and clearly (they) go there with the intent to cause harm and injury,” he said.
“We have designated areas and those powers which allow police to request and instruct people to remove face coverings and where they try to hide their identity … we’ll look further at whether we can strengthen that.”
‘Violent mob of masked thugs’
Greens Senator David Shoebridge was savaged for suggesting Wednesday’s anti-war, anti-Israel protest was an “overwhelmingly peaceful movement”.
Senator Shoebridge said there was no question that Victoria Police’s use of stun grenades, rubber bullets, force and “excessive violence against protesters went well beyond what anyone would expect”.
“The Greens will continue and always do state that protests should be peaceful and will oppose violence by the state or otherwise,” he said.
But Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said Senator Shoebridge made the comments from “his privileged office, protected by police, hundreds of kilometres from the frontline of a protest that saw my members set upon and assaulted”.
“It’s easy to criticise from that place of comfort, but much harder to stand on a thin line between a violent mob of masked thugs and everyday people,” Mr Gatt said.
As protesters on Thursday geared up for a second day of chaos, police announced they would be conducting weapons searches.
The move by police saw protest crowds scatter as activists fled to parts of Southbank excluded from the designated search area.
Two bags of marbles and a handful of banners were seized by police.
Organisers urge protesters to ‘keep going’
Protest organisers urged participants to “keep going” on Thursday, saying they would not allow warmongers to have their “cute lil expo without disruption”.
New posts via encrypted messaging service Telegram acknowledged protesters were “tired” after the massive rally on Wednesday.
“But we must keep going,” organisers wrote.
“We are the most radical part of the resistance on this continent and we have to hold those complicit to account.
“We are making history, our resistance and display today shows us a glimpse of what we can do when we get together for a just cause.”
Organisers encouraged protesters to chant “are you proud that you’re making a killing, do you tell your kids what you do for a living” and “profits are not justified when you bank on genocide”.
They thanked Greens Senator David Shoebridge for supporting their cause and raising concerns about the police response in the parliament.
They also shared legal information for those who were pepper sprayed by police, encouraging them to document what happened, make a complaint to IBAC, seek damages in a civil case and tell their story in the media.
Mental Health Workers 4 Palestine have offered protesters chats with their clinicians.
Federal opposition wants protests condemned
The federal opposition is calling on the parliament to condemn the violent and anti-Semitic protests in Melbourne.
Deakin MP Michael Sukkar on Thursday morning tried to move a motion condemning the conduct of protesters who threw objects including faeces at police, punched horses and destroyed property.
It sought to denounce the effect of their actions on law-abiding Victorians and businesses, which had their trade and property destroyed, as well as the protesters’ attempts to jostle journalists.
The motion acknowledged the “physical and emotional toll” it was having on police and emergency services, and called on state and federal authorities to charge and prosecute those engaged in violent protest activity.
It also called on the “Australian Greens to publicly condemn the actions of Victorian MP Gabrielle de Vietri” for taking part.
“People around Australia are looking at Victoria and saying ‘that is not who we are and that is not the sort of country that we want’,” Mr Sukkar told the parliament.
“That’s why we need leadership from this government.
“No more of this softly-softly business with these protesters.”
But Labor shut down the attempt to suspend standing orders to debate the motion.
‘Conflict and division’: Premier slams protesters
Premier Jacinta Allan has called out Land Forces protesters for using tactics that injured police officers and bringing “conflict and division” to the streets of Melbourne.
Ms Allan was briefed by Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton on Thursday morning over the ongoing protests.
She Ms Allan said the use of rocks, bottles and even balloons filled with urine and acid like substances against police had exposed the violent nature of the protests.
“Your intent is not to peacefully protest, indeed your motives are exposed and those motives are to drive further conflict and division here on the streets of Melbourne,” she said.
“That is unacceptable, totally unacceptable.”
Ms Allan said she was also concerned to hear protesters had travelled from interstate to disrupt the Land Forces expo.
“What I’m particularly concerned to hear from the Chief Commissioner is that whether they’re protesters coming in from Queensland or coming in from other parts of the state, that there has been a number of protesters not with the intent to peacefully protest,” she said.
She thanked Victoria Police officers who had turned up to do their job despite the trying conditions yesterday.
“They’re turning up to do their job in what has been, at times, a difficult and dangerous situation,” she added.
When asked if, in hindsight, the expo should have been moved out of the CBD, Ms Allan said conferences like Land Forces had a right to concern in Melbourne.
“We will continue to welcome events industry, events like this and conferences because they’re an important part of supporting our events program, our conferences program, they support jobs in our community,” she said.
Protesters return to Melbourne streets
About 100 anti-war protesters marched through Melbourne’s CBD on Thursday morning, the latest action coming a day after they unleashed chaos on the city as the targeted the Land Forces weapons expo.
A few dozen masked protesters held signs and started chanting at the intersection of Flinders and Spencer streets just before 9am on Thursday.
They then marched east along Flinders St toward the station.
Many of the attendees from Wednesday’s shameful day of action returned on Thursday.
Highway patrol officers were forced to block King, Flinders and Spencer streets for Thursday’s march.
Dozens of motorists, who became gridlocked, sounded their horns in anger at the crew.
Some of the anti-war activists were blowing bubbles and many, again, chose not to show their faces.
The same group on Wednesday held part of the city hostage which forced police to deploy rubber bullets and stun grenades.
More than 30 people were arrested for offences including arson, assault police and assault.
Victoria Police are bracing for further protest action on Thursday afternoon and Friday.
Fired-up activists had several confrontations with media attempting the report on the chaos.
One angered member of the public also blasted the anti-war protesters in a heated exchange on their way to the exhibition site.
He told them to “get a job” and to stop disrupting the city.
They even begun turning on themselves with two activists needing to be separated.
The group then parked themselves along Yarra Promenade outside Crown and will remain there for much of the morning.
Originally published as Anti-war, anti-Israel protesters back on Melbourne streets after a day of chaos and violence
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