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Protests continued on the third day in Melbourne, Australia, after the Victorian government closed the construction industry for two weeks on Tuesday.
The state government cited COVID-19 compliance issues in the construction industry and a violent demonstration scene outside the CFMEU construction union’s office that occurred due to the closure on Monday.
Following protests across Melbourne on Tuesday, protesters marched from Melbourne CBD to the City’s Shrine of Remembrance, the War Memorial, on Wednesday.
Hundreds of protesters seemed reluctant to take up space on the stairs of the shrine, keep hordes of police away, and encourage ugly scenes in one of the country’s most sacred places.
By mid-afternoon, the riot police had begun talking to and negotiating with members of the protest to provide a way for the protesters to leave without being arrested.
Initially, Victorian police proposed that protesters disband via St Kilda Road. However, news of alleged arrests quickly spread throughout the crowd, undermining efforts to build credibility.
Protesters opposed their own request to leave the road that had passed through the middle of the shrine grounds, but police refused because their heavy car was parked there.
Previously, riot police members seemed to kneel to the east of the shrine, and the crowd was momentarily excited, cheering and applauding. However, as the riot police approached from the north, police officers stood up and began a protracted standoff.
Around this time, I heard protesters chanting “I want peace.”
However, by about 4:20 pm, police loudspeakers told the crowd that they were “free to leave” via St. Kirda Road, police officers began boarding protesters, and eventually a few on the stairs of the shrine. Surrounded the protesters.
By this time, the crowd of protesters had been reduced by at least half, according to independent reporter Real Luxhan.
Officers also made some attempts to ask the crowd to leave.
Meanwhile, the Hawthorne branch of the Federation of Returnees has criticized the use of shrines for protests. “The Shrine of Remembrance is not a place of protest,” the group wrote on Twitter.
“For Australians, it’s a sacred place to commemorate those who fought and died for us. We gather there and remember respect and dignity. It’s not appropriate to use this sacred place for protests. . “
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Caden Pearson is an Australian-based reporter with a background in screen writing and documentary. Contact him at [email protected]
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