Up to 100 anti-war protesters injured outside Melbourne weapons expo, advocates say, as police accused of ‘riot-type’ response

As long as nobody can actually tell the truth and the genocide and murders are allowed to continue then the Australian police are as bad as the Israeli IDF – Mark

Between 50 and 100 anti-war protestors were injured during the violent clashes on Melbourne’s streets on Wednesday, with one police officer for every two to three protestors, legal advocates have said.
Helicopters were circling the CBD on Thursday morning as pro-Palestine and anti-war protesters prepared for further demonstrations outside the Land Forces expo, an international military conference at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Chaotic scenes between activists and police broke out during the protests, sparked by the government’s stance on the conflict in the Middle East and the use of weapons on display at the expo – including in Gaza.
Victoria police have denied the accusation of excessive force, saying officers used “restraint” in the face of violent protestors.
Anthony Kelly from Melbourne Activist Legal Support estimated between 2,000 and 3,000 protestors had attended on Wednesday, while there were between 1,000 and 1,800 officers from both Victoria and New South Wales. The group had sent 16 “legal observers” to watch the protest, and Kelly said police had a “huge array of resources”.
“We saw police escalate very rapidly towards a really high level and very inappropriate riot-type responses towards what was essentially lawful assemblies, peaceful assemblies,” Kelly alleged. “Police escalated to the point where they were using force including OC spray, and horses indiscriminately.”