The biggest rally in ‘two decades’ rocked Melbourne on Wednesday morning when 1,200 anti-war protesters descended on the Land Forces 2024 weapons expo being held at the Melbourne Convention Centre.
Almost 2,000 police officers, many of whom were drafted from interstate, attempted to corral the protesters but the scenes quickly turned ugly.
Some demonstrators set fire to bins and hurled horse manure, rocks and rotten apples at police, while riot cops unloaded rubber bullets and capsicum spray in response.
Two dozen officers have required medical treatment, while 33 protesters have been arrested for various offences, including arson and assaulting police.
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Victoria Police defend their actions, alleging some protesters threw ‘acid’ at cops
Victoria Police has said it is ‘appalled’ at the behaviour of violent protesters, claiming that some frontline cops were doused in ‘acid’.
Two dozen officers have required medical treatment, while 33 protesters have been arrested for various offences, including arson and assaulting police.
‘Police have been pelted with missiles including bottles filled with liquid, rocks, and horse manure whilst trying to protect the attendees of the Land Forces expo, some of whom were also assaulted by protestors,’ a spokesperson for Victoria Police said.
‘Some police have been spat at by protestors, whilst other officers have been sprayed with a liquid irritant, some of which has been identified as acid.’
The spokesperson claimed that a number of police horses were also targeted by protesters although none have sustained serious injuries.
‘Protesters have lit fires in the street, disrupted road networks and public transport and committed other offences,’ the spokesperson added.
Victoria Police said it had been forced to deploy various coutner measures, including ‘foam baton rounds, flash distraction devices, and PAVA powder (PAVA is a synthetic Oleoresin Capsicum product)’.
PICTURED: Fresh photos emerge of injured journalists after police opened fire
Protest organisers vow they will ‘come back stronger’
The organisers behind the protest that has seen dozens of arrests and 24 police officers hopsitalised have vowed to ‘come back stonger’.
A coalition of activist groups, including Extinction Rebellion and Students for Palestine, came together to form Disrupt Land Forces.
The group shared a photo of one of the protesters wounds from a rubber bullet (pictured below).
‘We’ve dispersed to rest our bodies and get ready for more action, more disruption, today, tomorrow and Friday,’ Disrupt Land Forces posted on X.
‘We have not been beaten, we are regrouping to come back stronger.’
The activist group branded the Land Forces expo a ‘one stop genocide stop’.
‘This is where the generals, weapons CEOs, diplomats and Defence Ministers come together to do the deals that end in massacres,’ their website states.
It adds: ‘Elbit, Lockheed, Boeing, Hanwha, Thales, NIOA … the biggest weapons makers in the world will all be there, plus military bosses, plus Defence Ministry personnel, plus hundreds of smaller suppliers trying to get a piece of the genocide pie.’
Police blast protester in the face with capsicum spray – as journalists are caught in the cross-fire
An advancing line of riot police have been filmed blasting protesters with capsicum spray.
One man, who refused to retreat, was doused in capsicum spray as officers held batons aloft and yelled ‘get back!’.
What is the Land Forces expo?
The Land Forces International Land Defence Exposition, which was previously held in Brisbane, is a biennial exhibition of weapons and technology.
Over 800 companies from Australia and around the world will exhibit guns, tanks, heavy-duty trucks and other military equipment across the three-day event at Melbourne’s Convention and Exhibition Centre.
At least one military tank discreetly delivered under a cloak of darkness at 3am on Saturday.
On Sunday, Victoria Police said it would have a significant presence at the event – the force’s biggest operation in decades.
Protesters from different acitivist groups, nclduign Extinction Rebellion, have combined to form Disrupt Land Forces.
Disrupt Land Forces spokeswoman Jasmine Duff said the protest was triggered by the government’s stance on the conflict in the Middle East.
‘We’re protesting to stand up for all those who have been killed by the type of weapons on display at the convention,’ she said.
Police, using anti-terror legislation, will also have increased powers to search any person or vehicle within the area surrounding the event.
IN PICTURES: Anti-war protest turns ugly
Bins set alight, police pelted with poo and officers opening fire
A tense stand-off between protesters and police outside the convention centre has erupted into violence.
Bins were set alight on Clarendon Street Bridge as riot police opened fire with rubber bullets, demanding demonstrators retreat.
Some protesters pelted cops with eggs, while others held signs aloft reading ‘Arms Dealers Export Terror’.
How politician issued dark warning about anti-war protest in Melbourne – as he defends the chaos
Greens leader Adam Bandt has defended chaotic and violent anti-war rallies in Melbourne, where thousands of protesters have hurled rocks and assaulted cops.
Mr Bandt issued a call-to-action on his X profile last week about the Land Forces Defence Expo, scheduled to run from Wednesday to Friday at the Convention Centre in Naarm – the Indigenous name for Melbourne.
He wrote: ‘Land Forces will be in Naarm next week.’
‘Labor are allowing the largest arms expo in the southern hemisphere to spruik weapons of war for profit, when the community are desperate for a genocide to end.
‘It should not go ahead.’
Mr Bandt defended the rally but called for peaceful protest amid ugly scenes of bins being set alight, journalists shot with rubber bullets and polcie officers beign pelted with horse poo.
WATCH: Riot police officer opens fire on demonstrators as protester shouts ‘Stop shooting people, bro!’
Shocking footage filmed by a Daily Mail Australia journalist has captured the moment a riot police officer opened fire on a protester who was nowhere near him.
The vision, filmed on Clarendon Street Bridge outside the convention centre, shows the officer firing at protesters standing over ten metres away.
He then reloads as one of the demonstrators shouts ‘Stop shooting people, bro!’.
The officer yells back: ‘Get away from the bin!’ and then fires again at a group of protesters hiding behind a green bin.
The journalist who filmed the confronting scene was later hit with capsicum spray (pictured below).
Daily Mail Australia journalists hit with rubber bullets and capsicum spray as protests descend into violence
A Daily Mail Australia reporter has been blasted by rubber bullets as he covered the violent protest on the ground, while another has been gassed with capsicum spray.
Protesters set alight a large green bin as they faced off against a line of riot police defending the convention centre on Clarendon Street Bridge.
But the riot police then marched forward with one officer using his shield to smash a demonstrator backwards before covering him with capisum spray.
Other riot police then opened fire seemingly indiscriminately.
Two Daily Mail Australia reporters were caught up in the mayhem, with one taking a rubber bullet to the stomach and another being blinded by capiscum spray.
A TV journalist was mobbed and jostled by furious protesters while trying to film a live news segment.
Sunrise reporter Teegan Dolling was doing a live cross when she was swarmed by at least four protesters, some wearing keffiyehs and masks, who thrust their middle fingers towards the camera.
One of the female protesters then tried to block the camera and was then involved in an altercation with Ms Dolling who tried to pull her hand away.
‘Don’t block the camera,’ Ms Dollign could be heard saying.
Surnise host Nat Barr condemned the scenes.
‘That is not on if people are actually mishandling out reporters,’ she said from the studio.
At least one protester was arrested outside Melbourne’s convention centre.
Albo defends right to protest but slams those hurling things at police
Anthony Albanese has weighed in on the protests bringing Australia’s second-largest city to a halt by criticisng those who have thrown things at police.
The Prime Minister said ‘people have a right to protest peacefully’.
‘But you don’t say you’re opposed to defence equipment by throwing things at police,’ he told Sunrise.
‘They’ve got a job to do, and our police officers should be respected at all times.’
Protesters attack police horses and hurl faeces at mounted officers
Several protesters were seen grappling with the reins of police horses to allow other demonstrators to break through.
One man, with a long mullet and wearing sunglasses, could be seen repeatedly grabbing at a bridle before he tried to snatch a horse whip out of a mounted officer’s hands.
Another disturbing video shows demonstrators throwing what appeared to be horse faeces at a group of mounted police.
Officers were seen with faeces stuck to their helmets and uniforms as they attempted to control the crowd, with some officers using capsicum spray.
Sussan Ley slams demonstrators: ‘These people need to get a job’
Deputy Opposition leader Sussan Ley has blasted protesters, claimng they ‘need to get a job’.
Ms Ley (pictured, below) praised the efforts of police who were working to control the demonstrators.
‘My thoughts are for law enforcement when confronted with these large numbers, and our police and the people who keep us safe are diverted from all of the things they need to be doing to address this sort of nonsense,’ she said.
‘It’s like we have the same crowd every single time we have one of these protests. I stand with our defence industries every single day of the week, and I know that Australians absolutely do so as well.’
Almost 2,000 police struggle to contain protesters swarming busiest intersection in city
Over 1,800 police, including mounted officers, are struggling to contain thousands of anti-war protesters blocking Melbourne’s busiest intersection.
Detectives had to be drafted in to bolster police numbers as demosntrators turned violent outside the Land Forces Defence Expo.
James Conlon, a former Melbourne councillor, claimed that ‘thousands of protesters just broke the pathetic police line of horses’.
‘We’re now blocking the intersection with the West Gate Bridge, the busiest intersection in Melbourne,’ he posted on X.
Anti-war protesters fling horse faeces at mounted police – as demonstrators are told to get a job
A group of protesters were filmed throwing horse poo at police officers as they tried to control a record-breaking crowd.
Victoria Police officers expected some 25,000 people to attend an anti-war march in Melbourne ahead of the Land Forces Defence Expo this week.
Deputy Opposition leader Sussan Ley slammed the planned action, saying those involved ‘need to get a job’.
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Melbourne protest LIVE updates: Anti-war demonstrators clash with police and reporters in fiery scenes
