Wild Melbourne Protests Turn Ugly: Two Police Officers Hospitalised as Anti-Mass Immigration Rally Descends into Chaos
- Violent clashes erupt between anti-mass immigration protesters and counter-demonstrators in Melbourne’s CBD, leaving two police officers injured
- Police use flash bangs, pepper spray, and rubber bullets to control crowds as protesters hurl rocks, glass bottles, and spoiled fruit at officers
- Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan vows to introduce new safety laws to clamp down on violent protests, saying those who engage in such behaviour “deserve to face serious consequences”
- Counter-protesters condemn police response, claiming officers “denied thousands the right to protest” and “facilitated the racist, hateful demonstration”
Pandemonium broke out in Melbourne’s CBD on Sunday as a protest against mass immigration turned violent, leaving two police officers hospitalised and several others injured. The chaotic scenes saw police use flash bangs, pepper spray, and rubber bullets to control crowds as protesters hurled rocks, glass bottles, and spoiled fruit at officers.
Superintendent Wayne Cheeseman described the scenes as “filthy and disgusting”, saying police were pelted with large rocks and glass bottles as protesters tried to break through barricades. “The fact is rocks being thrown at police, bottles filled with shards of glass were being thrown at police. Bins were put on fire, flags were on fire and I think enough is enough,” he said.
One female sergeant was suspected to have suffered a broken hand after being kicked by protesters, while a male senior constable sustained a gash to his leg. Victoria Police Union secretary Wayne Gatt likened the scenes to Northern Ireland in the 1970s, saying “the only people yesterday who didn’t have their human rights protected was the police”.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan vowed to introduce new safety laws to clamp down on violent protests, saying those who engage in such behaviour “deserve to face serious consequences”. “Some protesters were attending the rallies for the sake of protesting and when they acted with violence, like hurling rocks at police, they deserve to face serious consequences,” she said.
Counter-protesters condemned the police response, claiming officers “denied thousands the right to protest” and “facilitated the racist, hateful demonstration”. Rally organiser Yasmin said in a statement, “We condemn the violent acts of Victoria Police. We are appalled by the comments of police commander Wayne Cheeseman, who praised the far-right hate march.”
Similar protests were held across the nation, but none experienced the same level of violence as Melbourne. The Victorian Government has promised to review the police response to the protests and consider new laws to prevent similar violence in the future.