Greens leader Adam Bandt has defended the chaotic and violent anti-war protests in Melbourne, where thousands of demonstrators have thrown stones and attacked police.
Mr Bandt issued a call to action on his X profile last week about the Land Forces Defence Exhibition, scheduled to take place from Wednesday to Friday at the Convention Centre in ‘Naarm’, the Indigenous word for Melbourne.
He wrote: ‘Ground forces will be in Naarm next week.’
‘Workers are allowing the largest arms exhibition in the southern hemisphere to be held to promote weapons of war for profit, when the community is desperate for the genocide to end.
“I shouldn’t go on.”
On Tuesday, demonstrators took to the streets to protest against the exhibition.
Vile images showed crowds of people attacking police horses, throwing stones, dung and chairs, climbing onto trucks and trying to force their way through police barricades.
As protests intensified on Wednesday, with bins set on fire and journalists pepper-sprayed and shot with rubber bullets, Bandt defended the demonstration on ABC Radio National.
Adam Bandt (pictured with his partner Claudia Perkins) has defended the chaotic and violent anti-war protests in Melbourne
Pictured: Anti-war protesters try to break through police barricades on Wednesday
Victoria Police clash with protesters during a demonstration against the LandForces International Defence Exhibition at the Melbourne Convention and Entertainment Centre on Wednesday
Pictured: Protesters arrive at the protest early Wednesday morning.
“What people are protesting here is the end of the escalation of war, the fact that we are now starting to treat arms manufacturing as an inherent good (is wrong),” he said.
‘My message is always twofold.
‘One is that protests should be peaceful, and second is that people, including the media, should pay attention to the causes for which people are protesting, and in this case, people are protesting against the proliferation of weapons of war.’
On Tuesday, several protesters were seen grappling with the reins of police horses to allow other demonstrators to pass.
A man, with long hair and sunglasses, could be seen repeatedly grabbing a bridle before attempting to snatch a horse whip from the hands of a mounted officer.
Another disturbing video shows protesters throwing what appeared to be horse droppings at a group of mounted police officers.
Officers were seen with feces stuck to their helmets and uniforms as they attempted to control the crowd; some officers used capsicum spray.
Anthony Albanese spoke at the rally, saying “people have the right to protest peacefully.”
“But you can’t say you’re opposing defence equipment by throwing things at the police,” he told Sunrise.
“They have a job to do and our police officers must be respected at all times.”
The protest continued on Wednesday morning, the day the exhibition is scheduled to open.