Thousands of protestors descend on Melbourne’s CBD

ABC NEWS (Australia)

More than 2-thousand protesters from across the political spectrum descended on Melbourne’s CBD. Police officers were mostly able to keep opposing rallies separate. But they still had to intervene when a handful of scuffles broke out between the groups. Some also clashed with police throughout the afternoon.

Transcript

00:00Two groups of protesters face off outside Parliament, kept metres apart by a wall of police.

00:09United! The people will never be defeated!

00:13About 2,500 people from multiple protest groups attended rallies today.

00:18Smaller groups breaking into fights.

00:21Police separating protesters from opposing groups,

00:24arresting and later releasing one man for criminal damage.

00:28Even using capsicum spray, a bystander caught in the crossfire.

00:33So I was just trying to walk through and the fight popped off between a few people.

00:39And then I was trying to sort of walk around, just get around it,

00:42and then suddenly there was just this sort of big kerfuffle.

00:46Indigenous solidarity groups gathered outside Flinders Street station at 11 this morning,

00:52condemning the far right and an alleged attack on First Nations protest site Camp Sovereignty

00:58a fortnight ago.

00:59But we will not let them grow!

01:03We will not let them win!

01:08Anti-police sentiment also present.

01:11Get those animals off those horses!

01:14They marched towards opposing right-wing protesters at Parliament House.

01:18At that rally, a mixed bag of views.

01:22Criticising the nation's leaders, vaccine mandates and calling for justice for fugitive Desi Freeman.

01:29The farmers are struggling, the government is not with the farmers at all.

01:35They are destroying them.

01:36Totally against the 15-minute cities that they're bringing in.

01:40These people here are all very, very peaceful.

01:43Yeah, exactly.

01:44There is no trouble.

01:47They held a moment of silence for the death of American political activist Charlie Kirk.

01:52More than 100 police officers have formed a human barricade around this section of Spring Street

01:57outside the Princess Theatre.

01:59Mounted police and the riot squad stationed here to keep opposing protests apart.

02:05The crowd dispersed around 2 o'clock.

02:07Both sides hoping today's events allowed their messages to be heard.

02:11They're on the belonged.

02:19They're sitting here.

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