By Rachael Dexter, Lachlan Abbott and Alex Crowe
A sea of armed police returned a relative calm to Southbank on Thursday, a day after faeces and urine were thrown at passers-by as violent clashes erupted between about 1500 anti-war protesters and authorities.
Legal advocates have called for an independent review of police conduct on Wednesday, while politicians on both sides have vowed to expand powers to target violent protesters.
On Thursday morning, about 150 protesters – many draped in Palestinian colours – marched and chanted for three hours outside the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, which was hosting the second day of the Land Forces International Land Defence Expo.
Police said the protest was generally peaceful. However, five people were arrested near the event.
They included a man, 19, who allegedly resisted police, a man, 27, who allegedly possessed a prohibited weapon (a modified hockey stick), and a 23-year-old man who was issued a penalty notice for possessing a flick knife.
“Members also seized bottles of red paint, marbles and bags of small rocks used to create obstacles for the police horses,” police said.
Bags of marbles confiscated by police during a bag search of a protester on the second day of the Land Forces Expo in Southbank on Thursday.Credit: Eddie Jim
Police believe protesters were going to scatter the marbles on the ground to make it harder for horses to walk, but said no marbles were thrown at horses on Thursday.
Marbles were used by demonstrators against police horses during anti-COVID-19 lockdown protests in 2021.
On Wednesday, police were pelted with horse faeces, rocks, tins of beans, eggs, beer bottles, tomatoes and a liquid later detected to contain a mild acid. The violence was condemned by the police, their union and politicians.
“It’s believed that protesters targeted the members and their mounts, purposely spraying irritant into the horses’ noses, under their face coverings and under the face shields of their riders,” police said.
A protester is searched during Thursday’s demonstration in Southbank.Credit: Chris Hopkins
Police also alleged a 47-year-old man was assaulted and had urine and faeces tipped on him when he tried to enter the weapons expo.
Protesters condemned the police’s response on Wednesday, which they claimed included excessive violence.
Disrupt Land Forces organiser Jasmine Duff said at least five protesters had been injured.
Duff said the injured included a person who had to have surgery after being shot at close range by a rubber bullet and another who was treated for a severe haematoma.
Dozens of police officers near Clarendon Street in Southbank on Thursday.Credit: Eddie Jim
“Another was struck with a baton in the ribs and had symptoms of acute kidney injury. Another was hit with a shield, arrested, and then hospitalised with a back injury,” she said.
Asked whether the police response was justified given property had been set alight, horses had reportedly been targeted and violent scenes had developed, Duff said protesters weren’t to blame.
“The most intense violence was going on inside the conference where weapons companies, including Israeli weapons companies, were advertising wares as ‘battle tested’, meaning they were battle-tested on people in Gaza,” Duff said.
Aidan Wujanto-Hawe, a Students For Palestine Victoria member who was arrested on Wednesday, said the police response was “terrifying, and like nothing I’ve ever seen in my life”.
On Thursday, police stepped up their use of search powers within a legal “designated zone” around the convention centre. Dozens of pat-down searches were conducted on protesters and media workers, including The Age’s journalists and photographers.
Melbourne Activist Legal Support, a group of volunteers who attend rallies as legal observers, said most instances of aggressive protester behaviour was in response to a “coercive crowd control manoeuvre by the police or the use of police weapons”.
Spokesperson Anthony Kelly said observers witnessed multiple instances of unlawful police force.
Kelly said the organisation was considering civil action and IBAC referrals.
A confrontation on Southbank Promenade near Crown casino on Thursday.Credit: Eddie Jim
”What we saw yesterday was like 1970s-style policing,” he said.
Greg Barns, SC, the criminal justice spokesman for the Australian Lawyers Alliance, called for an independent review of police conduct.
“In quite a large protest, with a large number of police, and with the use of quasi-military style policing, there just needs to be a place where individuals air grievances and have them investigated, and that needs to be done outside of Victoria Police,” he said.
“We’re not saying all police are at fault, but certainly, you cannot rely on Victoria Police to do an internal investigation because it’s playing judge and jury.”
On Thursday, Police Minister Anthony Carbines claimed officers had used “extreme restraint” in their protest response. He said the government was looking at expanding the use of designated areas in which police have greater powers.
Opposition Leader John Pesutto said the Coalition was investigating a “permit system” for demonstrations after what he called a “normalisation” of protest violence in Victoria. If elected, the Liberals would give police more powers to move on protesters and expand their authority to remove face coverings.
Barns warned any further limitations on protest rights risked a “serious breach” of freedom of speech.
With Rachel Eddie and Cassandra Morgan
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