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=> Occupy Melbourne Protests

Occupy Melbourne Protests
Posted by Tiglath (Guest) - Friday, October 21 2011, 13:11:05 (UTC)
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I actually took part in Occupy Melbourne's first day of protest last Saturday with my wife Asuma and two children. With Tiglath riding shotgun on my neck, bengining at the tent city we marched through the CBD closing down major intersections. We then converged on two Max Brenner chocolate shops as a part of the Boycott Israel campaign and closed dwon both shops.

Police officers riding horses were everywhere which please my son who continually pointed at the horses and neighed as they escorted us.

After the protest the protesters converged on the city square where they set up a tent city. Having a 3 year old and a 6 month old meant that I had to follow my wife home but i was impressed with their resolve and enjoyed the walk with them.

This afternoon I heard that the police had barricaded the city square in Melbourne where they were staying and then proceeded to forcefully remove the protesters with a compliant corporate media praising the move.

The protest apparently spilled out onto Melbourne's streets where they blocked major intersections and cause major traffic delays throughout the afternoon.

Article follows:



Doyle accused of heavy-handedness in halting occupation Benjamin Preiss and Reid Sexton
October 22, 2011


MELBOURNE'S lord mayor has been accused of overreacting to an anti-greed protest that has encircled the globe, by ordering police in riot gear to remove protesters from their tent city yesterday.

Police denied they had used excessive force and heavy-handed tactics in clashes with the 100-odd protesters who had been camped out in the City Square for a week.

But their action, in which more than 95 people were arrested, was criticised by protesters and local Greens MPs.

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Lord Mayor Robert Doyle looks down at the Occupy Melbourne protestors. Photo: Joe Armao
''It's the worst response to peaceful people sitting down talking that I think we've ever seen,'' said Occupy Melbourne's Nick Carson . ''Why couldn't (Mayor) Robert Doyle have just come down and talked to his constituents?''

Greens MP Adam Bandt, the federal member for Melbourne, said: ''[Premier] Ted Baillieu and [Lord Mayor] Robert Doyle have made a huge blunder by sending in the police, turning a week-long non-violent protest into a site of confrontation.''

A defiant Cr Doyle last night told The Saturday Age the protesters were ''arrogant liars'' who had deceived police when they told them earlier in the week that they would move peacefully if required to.

He labelled the protests the most pointless he's seen in Melbourne. ''Looking at the anger and violence on the faces of the protesters [it was clear] a number of them simply wanted to fight police.''

He said the protesters' ''little self-indulgent moment in the sunshine'', had disrupted dozens of businesses and forced the cancellation of an awards ceremony at the Town Hall to acknowledge schools that had helped fight poverty.

''In the name of acting for the little people and the battlers, they have prevented the very people they purport to represent from being celebrated.''

About 100 campers defied an order from Melbourne City Council to leave the square by 9am and ignored repeated requests to move on. Police, including officers from the mounted branch, dog squad and public order response team, moved in to disperse the crowd at around midday. Police ranks eventually swelled to 400.

Officers were dragging people along the ground and carrying others by their arms and legs and loading them into the back of police vans en masse while threats of arrest were met with chants of ''we can't hear you!''.

Angry scuffles broke out in the middle of the CBD, blocking trams and drawing hundreds of protesters and spectators onto the road. Police on horseback were used to try to disperse the crowd.

The protesters were moved slowly to the middle of Swanston Street, their numbers growing as people gathered to watch, and in some cases, joined in.

By 4.30pm, a phalanx of police, with the front line in full riot gear, had forcefully moved the protesters along Swanston Street towards Trades Hall in Lygon Street. Those who refused to move or who took on the police were dragged behind the front line, some kicking and screaming.

Many bystanders were forcibly pushed aside. Greens MP Colleen Hartland, who was there as an observer, said: ''Police in riot gear just started to push me and once that happened I decided that I would be joining in.''

Assistant Commissioner Stephen Fontana said police had tried to use minimum force and protesters were given plenty of time to make their point and leave. ''We don't really want to engage in this sort of activity but we're not going to back down either,'' he said.

Occupy Melbourne organisers have vowed to continue protesting. Last night, the remains of the protesters had gathered at Trades Hall.

Responding to Cr Doyle's comments, Occupy Melbourne spokesman Carl Scrase said the mayor was not in touch with reality and that he should look at clips of the clashes on Youtube.

''It's obvious there was extreme police brutality, everyone saw it,'' he said.

One protester was taken to hospital. Police said two police officers suffered minor injuries and eight of their cars were damaged.

Police used pepper spray to control some people.

Protester Jackson Sweet-Kirkwood, 19, said he was sprayed after trying to help someone who had fallen over as police advanced. ''It was unnecessary because we were moving back as fast as we could,'' he said, while pouring water over his bloodshot eyes.

Premier Ted Baillieu last night declined to comment on the chaos, with a spokeswoman saying it was a matter for police.

A spokeswoman for Police Minister and Deputy Premier Peter Ryan said: ''The police have worked within the law to remove protesters and they're continuing to work within their powers to keep peace and good order within the CBD.''

Earlier, Mr Doyle had told 3AW the protesters had been allowed to make their point and ''the time has come for us to return City Square to the people of Melbourne''.

A massive security operation will be deployed next week in Perth to contain protesters at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting - the largest gathering of world leaders ever held in Australia.

The CHOGM Action Network will be involved in a march which will at one point enter into the event's ''security zone'', though they do not expect their to be clashes with police.

They will then finish in the CBD, where they will stage an ''Occupy Perth'' event.

With PAUL MILLAR, AAP



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