Australian police clash with antiwar demonstrators in Melbourne
Australian police have deployed tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray during clashes with crowds protesting Israel’s war on Gaza outside a defence exhibition in the city of Melbourne.
The clashes came after thousands of demonstrators chanting pro-Palestine slogans and waving Palestinian flags gathered outside the biennial Land Forces International Land Defence Exposition earlier this morning, according to the ABC and SBS broadcasters.
Protesters tried to shut down the event, by throwing eggs and water at delegates in a bid to prevent them from entering the event, SBS reported. Some protesters were seen throwing horse manure at mounted police while others set fire to dustbins in the area, according to the ABC.
Police arrested several people as they moved to contain the protest, according to ABC and SBS, but the number of detainees has not yet been confirmed. The broadcasters described the police operation as the largest in Melbourne since the World Economic Forum was held in the city in 2000.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meanwhile called for police officers to be “respected at all times”. “You don’t say you’re opposed to defence equipment by throwing things at police,” he told Australia’s Channel Seven.
Victoria Police clash with antiwar protesters outside a military arms convention in downtown Melbourne on September 11
Gaza war protesters clash with police at Australia arms fair
We reported earlier that people protesting against the Gaza war clashed with police outside an arms fair in Australia.
About 1,200 people attended the protest, picketing the Land Forces 2024 exposition being held in Australia’s second largest city of Melbourne, authorities said. They demanded a change in Canberra’s stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Police used sponge grenades, flash-bang devices and irritant sprays against the crowd, and arrested dozens.
Australian police use ‘serious weapons’ on pro-Palestine protesters: Report
Earlier, we reported there were clashes between pro-Palestine demonstrators and police outside an arms fair in Melbourne.
The national co-convenor for Students for Palestine Jasmine Duff said the police were to blame for the violence.
“They used serious weapons on peace activists that should be banned for use on demonstrators, including pepper spray, which is classified as a chemical weapon,” Duff said in a statement, according to the AP news agency.
“They hit us with batons, including hitting one man so hard he had to go to hospital and they shot us with rubber bullets,” she added.
The organiser of the convention, AMDA Foundation, said it would not comment on protester activity.
