Clashes erupted Wednesday between anti-Israeli war protesters and police outside a defence and arms fair in Melbourne, Australia, in the city’s largest police operation since 2000.
Police used tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray to disperse some of the crowds.
Videos showed hundreds gathering outside the venue for the International Defence Exhibition for Land Forces, with many chanting pro-Gaza slogans over loudspeakers and waving Palestinian flags, calling for an end to the war and the liberation of Palestine.
Australian authorities said about 1,200 people demonstrated outside the venue hosting the biennial International Land Defence Exhibition.
For its part, Australian media reported that this was the largest police operation in Melbourne since 2000, when Australia’s second-largest city hosted the World Economic Forum.
#DisruptLandForces No one in! No one out! Peacefully blocking weapons profiteers attempting to enter massive weapons expo at Melbourne Convention Centre. pic.twitter.com/kfOt5D1iPx
— Jane Morton (@SafeClimate) September 11, 2024
Police charges
Police arrested about 33 protesters on charges of assault, obstructing or hindering police, setting fires and blocking roads, according to a Melbourne police spokesman.
The police accused the demonstrators of beating and throwing stones at them as they tried to protect the attendees at the exhibition, confirming that 20 policemen were injured.
For his part, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that people have the right to protest, but they must do so in a peaceful manner, as he described it.