swinjournalism

Sep 11

Sprayed, shot, arrested: Protest erupts in clashes

Matthew Parkhill and Ruby Alexander report from the "Disrupt Land Forces" protest in Melbourne's CBD.

An anti-war protest at a weapons convention turned violent on Wednesday as protesters and police clashed near the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Land Forces -- a three-day convention for government and military officials to meet with weapons manufacturers and see their wares -- has become a symbol for pro-Palestine groups of Australia's support of Israel. Under the banner of Land Forces Action, the protest quickly turned to retaliatory actions between police and protesters as heavy security secured the area around the centre and cleared a blocked intersection on Footscray Road and Lorimer Street.

Reporters for The Burne were in the crowd capturing the day.

Protestors gathered to block traffic at an intersection outside the centre, with a march proceeding through Flinders Street and over Lamont Bridge. Photos: Matthew Parkhill

Protesters arrived as early as 6am, only to be met by over a thousand officers manning the barricades on Clarendon Street. On Lorimer and Footscray Rd, various student protest groups blocked traffic.

Police Extraction Teams manned entrances to the Convention Centre, breaking through the crowd to escort attendees. Photo: Matthew Parkhill

Police estimates put the total crowd size at 1200--vastly undermining previous estimates of 25 thousand--but the crowd only slowly trickled in throughout the morning. Around 1800 police were on duty.

By 8.30am, the intersection on Lorimer St had been largely cleared of protesters as police moved the crowd off the street. Few arrests had been made at this time, however convention goers unlucky enough to enter the centre from Lamont Bridge had to be escorted inside whilst extraction teams shoved protesters to the ground.

Delegates of the Land Forces convention pushed through the crowd with the assistance of specialised Public Order units. Photo: Ruby Alexander

Police lined the barricades two deep surrounding the centre, with horses deployed to break up the crowd when armoured police advanced--constricting the protest movement. Photos: Matthew Parkhill

Suddenly, Public Order units jumped the barricades as flashbangs and gas were shot into the crowd. Explosions and cries resounded over Lamont Bridge as police advanced onto the bridge, the first movement since the blockade formed at the Convention Centre entrance. Protesters were seen falling to the ground blinded by chemical spray, and those who refused to move, or had fallen, were detained.

Police quickly took control of half the bridge. Photos: Matthew Parkhill

Finley, 23, said he had arrived at the protest around 9am. He was attending with his sister for her birthday and brought a mate to show him Melbourne's favourite pastime.

Within 20 minutes, he was repeatedly pushed to the ground by police during their capture of Lamont Bridge.

They grabbed his hair and pepper sprayed his face as he tried to help up an older woman and a man with a moon boot who had fallen.

"I picked her up, and then this other guy had an issue with his leg, so I tried helping him up but they kept pushing him down ... they grabbed my hair and yanked me towards them, I think to extract me," he said.

Finley was one of many who had suffered rough punishment while being moved on.

Finley tried to help a fallen protestor. Police repeatedly pushed him to the ground, grabbed his hair and sprayed his face with chemical foam. Photos: Matthew Parkhill & Ruby Alexander

Eventually, the crowd was pushed back over the bridge as police used gas, chemical sprays, and foam and rubber bullets to incapacitate attendees.

Police utilised rubber and foam bullets against protesters who threw objects, such as stink bombs and glass bottles. Photo: Matthew Parkhill

As police shot into the crowd, chants of "Don't shoot" and "This is not a police state; We have the right to demonstrate" rose into the air.

Protestors tested the police lines in a show of defiance. Photo: Ruby Alexander

Volunteer medic crews worked overtime to wash foam spray from victims' eyes. Photo: Ruby Alexander

The majority of protestors remained civil in the face of overwhelming police numbers and force. Photos: Matthew Parkhill

Around 1800 police manned the barricades that surrounded the Convention and Exhibition centre. Photo: Ruby Alexander

The protest ended in a back-and-forth of flung horse manure and tear gas once protestors were forced back on the North Wharf. Dumpsters and rubbish were lit aflame, with police retaliating in a final charge to extinguish the flames and break the makeshift barricade.

Once the afternoon rains hit, the protest sizzled to a halt.