Anti-Israel protesters clash with police in Melbourne; 39 arrested, 24 officers injured
Rally at major defense fair turns violent as anti-war activists set fires, throw acid at cops; videos show chants of ‘From the river to the sea,’ calls for ‘unconditional ceasefire’
Anti-Israel and anti-war protesters and police clashed outside a defense exhibition in Australia’s second-largest city of Melbourne, with police using sponge grenades, flash-bang devices and irritant sprays to control parts of the hostile crowd.
A Victoria state police spokesperson said in a statement that police were pelted with rocks, horse manure and bottles filled with liquid as they tried to protect attendees of the expo, some of whom were assaulted by protesters.
Police said two dozen police officers required medical treatment and 39 people were arrested for offenses including assaulting, obstructing or hindering police, arson and blocking roads.
“Victoria police is appalled at the behavior of some of the protesters in attendance,” the police spokesperson said. “If you wish to come and protest, do so peacefully. We will not tolerate criminal behavior.”
“Some police have been spat at by protesters, whilst other officers have been sprayed with a liquid irritant, some of which has been identified as acid.”
Protesters, organized by groups including Students for Palestine, Extinction Rebellion and Disrupt Wars, also lit fires in the street and disrupted traffic and public transportation, while objects were thrown at several police horses but no serious injuries were reported, police said.
Come down to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre to block entrance to the Land Forces weapons expo, the peak gathering of global war mongers who commit genocide and war crimes with the showcased weapons. The more people here the better pic.twitter.com/TCIHrupPCp
— James Conlan ????️???? (@JamesMConlan) September 10, 2024
Some 1,200 people attended the protest outside the venue hosting the biennial Land Forces International Land Defence Exposition, according to authorities.
Australian media reported it was the largest police operation in Melbourne since 2000, when the city hosted the World Economic Forum. Local police, fearing crowds of as many as 25,000 protesters, diverted resources from regional areas in anticipation.
About 1,000 exhibiting organizations from 31 countries were expected to attend the event through Friday, which the organizers said was Australia’s largest defense expo.
Some attendees were doused in a red liquid by protesters, ABC News reported.
Videos posted to social media showed many protesters chanting pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel slogans through loudspeakers and waving Palestinian flags while dumpsters were pushed toward police lines.
Dozens of people could also been heard shouting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a chant condemned by many as a call for the elimination of Israel.
Some held signs calling for an “unconditional ceasefire” in Israel’s war against the Hamas terror group, apparently dismissing the need for the release of the 101 Israeli hostages held by terrorists in Gaza.
“We’re protesting to stand up for all those who have been killed by the type of weapons on display at the convention,” Students for Palestine national co-convenor Jasmine Duff said in a statement.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said people had the right to protest but had to do it in a peaceful manner.
“You don’t say you’re opposed to defense equipment by throwing things at police. They’ve got a job to do and our police officers should be respected at all times,” Albanese told Channel Seven.
Antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment have risen in Australia since Hamas’s October 7 massacre, which saw thousands of terrorists burst across the border into Israel, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, mostly civilians, amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.
In October, a few days after the unprecedented onslaught, Jewish Australians who were holding a vigil outside the Sydney Opera House were faced with antisemitic pro-Palestinian protesters who chanted “F*** the Jews” and “Gas the Jews,” although law enforcement later claimed that they were chanting, “Where’re the Jews” and not “Gas the Jews.”
In an effort to combat the spike in antisemitism, Albanese appointed an envoy in July to deal with the issue, as well as an envoy to address Islamaphobia.
