SYDNEY, Sept 11 (Askume) – Anti-war protesters clashed with police outside a defence exhibition in Melbourne, Australia on Wednesday, with police using tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray on some in the crowd.
Videos showed hundreds of people gathering outside the biennial Army International Land Defense Exhibition, many chanting pro-Palestinian slogans through loudspeakers and waving Palestinian flags.
Riot squad officers and mounted police were seen trying to control the protest inside the barricades. Australian media reported it was the biggest police operation in Melbourne since Australia’s second-largest city hosted the World Economic Forum in 2000.
Victoria Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Police handcuffed and detained protesters and pushed trash cans toward police lines, and some protesters began yelling at convention delegates, ABC News reported.
Police have closed several major roads in the city and urged motorists to avoid certain areas of the city. One protester climbed on top of a truck stopped at a traffic light.
About 1,000 companies from 31 countries are expected to participate in this event which will run till Friday. According to the organisers, this is Australia’s largest defence expo.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said people have a right to protest but it must be done peacefully.
“You can’t throw something at a police officer and say you’re an anti-defence organisation,” Albanese told Channel 7. “They have to do their job and respect our police officers at all times.”
