POLICE and protestors have clashed heatedly with protestors outside a defence expo in Melbourne today (September 11).
The three-day Land Forces expo brings defence experts from around the world and displays military equipment, heavy-duty trucks, semi-automatic guns and other weapons.
The protests come at a time when heightened tensions sparked by global conflicts have deepened public anger in many countries towards the arms industry and its profits, according to US media outlet CNN.
As police struggled to control a crowd of more than 1000 people, dozens were arrested on a day when demonstrators set fire to bins and targeted police horses as officers responded with pepper spray, according to local media reports.
The crowd of protestors had tried to block attendees from entering the expo.
According to Victoria Police officials, 33 people were arrested for offenses ranging from assault and arson to blocking roadways and assault of a police officer. Some protesters reportedly threw horse manure, rocks, and fruit at police.
About 24 police officers required medical treatment, a police spokesperson said and added that while police horses were also targeted, none sustained serious injuries. Rubbish bins were set alight.
Members of the crowd, many waving Palestinian flags and chanting pro-Palestinian slogans, demanded an end to violent conflict and in the Middle East.
The organization behind the protests, Disrupt Land Forces, said in an open letter they “unequivocally oppose the glorification of death, destruction, and genocide being carried out with weapons developed on this continent and showcased at Land Forces.”
The group called for an end to funding “states engaged in genocide and militarised repression,” including Israel.
ATTENDEES TARGETED
Protesters heckled attendees making their way into the expo, Nine News reported.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan strongly criticized any protesters making threats or using violence against police officers.
They’re doing their job supporting community safety, she told the ABC.
About 1000 firms from 31 countries are expected to attend the expo, according to the event’s website.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said people had the right to protest but had to do so peacefully.
Speaking to ABC Radio before the conference started on Wednesday, Bec Shrimpton, director of defence strategy and national security at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said it was very unfair to tarnish everybody with the brush of genocide.
