Police officer suspended over confronting Flinders Street train station incident

A Victoria Police officer has been suspended over a confronting incident filmed at a train station during a day of violent protests in Melbourne.

A Victoria Police officer has been suspended over a confronting incident captured on camera at Flinders Street station.

The footage, that was shared widely on social media, shows a Melbourne man being flung headfirst to the ground by a police officer who approached him from behind.

The incident occurred on September 22 during a week of unrest in Melbourne over construction workers being forced into mandatory vaccinations.

The police officer grabbed the man from behind.

He was then flung to the ground inside the train station.

That same day, hundreds of demonstrators staged a sit in at the Shrine of Remembrance, where riot police were forced to fire rubber bullets into the crowd to move them on after a two-hour stand off.

A police spokeswoman confirmed on Wednesday an acting sergeant from a specialist support unit had been suspended as a result of early investigations into the Flinders Street train station incident.

The shocking footage shows an officer walking up behind the man standing in Flinders Street station before violently grabbing him around the chest and slamming him headfirst into the ground.

The incident was filmed at Flinders Street station during a day of violent protests in Melbourne. Picture: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images

The victim appears to be standing in the station talking to several other police officers, when the officer approached him from behind.

The officer grabs the man by the shoulders and sling tackles him headfirst into the tiled floor, causing his headphones to go flying.

Shocked onlookers can be heard yelling in the background of the footage.

“F***, they slammed him,” one said.

The police spokeswoman said the investigation was ongoing and anyone who witnessed the incident, including the person who filmed the video, was urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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Originally published as Police officer suspended over confronting Flinders Street train station incident