Protests occurred outside a Melbourne expo for defence contractors. Police have arrested nearly 40 of these protesters throughout the day.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Well, things are a lot quieter outside land forces this afternoon, but this morning there
00:07were between 2,000 and 3,000 protesters clashing with police.
00:12This was happening from around the morning peak hour.
00:15Streets were closed around the Exhibition Centre with hundreds of police clashing with
00:20these protesters in multiple spots around the centre.
00:25Police say they were pelted with bottles, rocks, horse manure, and they even say they
00:29were spat at by protesters and were sprayed with a low-grade acid.
00:35The police certainly have come out strongly against the protesters this afternoon and
00:40called them hypocrites.
00:42I hope that some of these groups will go away from today and reflect on their conduct and
00:49think if they're really trying to further a cause, if they're really anti-war, then
00:56they're anti-violence and that this isn't the way that they're going to garner support.
01:01We will be prepared for any event for the duration of this conference, this Expo, but
01:09I hope it doesn't occur again tomorrow.
01:11Now protesters are taking action against the Land Forces Conference.
01:16This is a conference where hundreds of defence companies from around the world gather and
01:21essentially show each other the latest in war technology that they're developing.
01:26Certainly defence forces from around the world are also present and the Australian Defence
01:30Force has a presence there as well.
01:33Protesters say that it's these companies that are complicit in causing the deaths of civilians
01:39around the world and certainly a focus has been on the war in Gaza.
01:44We know that some of the companies in attendance, including Elbert, Raphael, these are companies
01:50that do provide the Israeli Defence Force with arms.
01:54So protesters say this is not a conference they want to see in Melbourne.