Land Forces protest turns violent as riots erupt in Melbourne

You may have seen images or footage on the news about violent protests in Melbourne. Over a thousand anti-war protesters gathered in the Victorian capital on Wednesday to rally against the Land Forces expo, held at the Melbourne Convention Centre. But things quickly turned ugly as protesters threw horse manure, rocks and acid at police officers.

A second protest was underway at the time of writing on Thursday.

But why did the demonstration turn violent? And what exactly were the protesters rioting against?

WHO WAS PROTESTING?
An estimated 1200 people were involved in the protest on Wednesday after gathering outside the Melbourne Convention Centre before noon. They were mostly made up of anti-Israel groups*, and included the activist organisation* Disrupt Land Forces.

The stated goal of Disrupt Land Forces is to end weapons trade with Israel and to disrupt the Land Forces Expo. Its website claims to have the support of more than 50 smaller activist groups.

Other groups involved in the protest were Students for Palestine, Socialist Alternative, Extinction Rebellion and Victorian Socialists – all of whom posted details for the demonstration on social media. More broadly, the groups have different goals, with Extinction Rebellion largely fighting against climate change and Students for Palestine rallying for Palestinian liberation*.

WHAT WERE THEY PROTESTING AGAINST?
Members of these activist groups claimed they were protesting against the Land Forces Expo being held in Melbourne, as well as the ongoing violent conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas-controlled* Palestine.

Disrupt Land Forces spokeswoman Jasmine Duff said the protest was triggered by the government’s stance on the war in the Middle East.

The group of activist organisations opposes Australian support of Israel as part of its response to the war, which was sparked by a horrific terrorist attack against Israel by the militant group Hamas, which controls Palestine. An estimated 1200 Israeli civilians died in the attack on October 7, 2023.

Israel’s full-scale military retaliation and the ongoing violence since has led to a major humanitarian crisis* that includes the loss of an estimated 41,000 Palestinian lives.

“We’re protesting to stand up for all those who have been killed by the type of weapons on display at the convention,” Ms Duff said.

WHY IS THE CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST CAUSING RIOTS HERE IN AUSTRALIA?
Australia is a very diverse, multicultural country. Many Australians were born overseas or have family born overseas. Some of our citizens have fled unimaginable violence and persecution* and have come here for a better life of safety and our famous “fair go” for all. Our long history of peaceful, democratic coexistence despite our many differences is rightly the envy of the world. But Australia does not exist in a bubble – Australians are global citizens* in a deeply interconnected but also deeply divided world.

Unfortunately, conflicts that have raged for centuries in other parts of the world are making their way to Australia. With any deep division, extremes erupt that push the two sides even further apart, just like a canyon in a cartoon getting wider and wider until the bridge between the two sides collapses. By its nature, extremist behaviour* does not represent the majority, but its potential for lasting harm impacts each and every one of us.

WHAT IS THE LAND FORCES EXPO?
The Land Forces International Land Defence Exposition is a biennial event* that serves as the gateway to the land defence markets of Australia. It provides a way for the Australian Army to connect with major weapons makers from the United States and Europe.

The defence event was held in Brisbane in 2022. More than 20,000 people attended the event that year, which included more than 800 exhibitor organisations from 25 nations.

This year Melbourne is hosting the expo over three days at Melbourne Convention Centre, where military equipment is displayed for attendees.

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE WEDNESDAY PROTEST?
Special riot squad officers armed with rubber bullets*, tear gas* and shields lined the Spencer Street Bridge and barricaded the entrance to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre during the chaos.

Police reported they were pelted with bottles that had been filled with liquid, horse manure and rocks. They also claimed they were sprayed with acid.

Protesters were seen throwing things at police horses and setting bins and rubbish on fire.

Police responded by firing pellets of tear gas to try and disperse the crowd. They also sprayed protesters with pepper spray and used stun grenades*.

Debris sat burning in the middle of the road as the standoff between the crowd and police continued, with some marchers using the wreckage to shield themselves as they hurled drink cans and rubbish at police.

Police made 42 arrests in total. Twenty-seven police officers required medical treatment as a result of the violent protests.

HOW DID THE GOVERNMENT RESPOND?
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rebuked* the anti-war protesters in Melbourne who acted violently towards mounted police.

“Well look, people have a right to protest peacefully, but you don’t say you’re opposed to defence equipment by throwing things at police,” the Prime Minister told Channel 7. “They’ve got a job to do and our police officers should be respected at all times.”

Victoria’s Opposition Leader John Pesutto said the labels “thugs” and “idiots” for the protesters causing disruption were “too charitable”.

“The protests that we’re seeing in Melbourne today are a disgrace, they’re violent, they’re disgusting and they put Victoria Police officers at great risk of harm,” Mr Pesutto said on Wednesday.
Additional reporting by Kate McIntyre and Diana Jenkins

POLL

GLOSSARY

• anti-Israel groups: groups that express opposition or hostility to Israel or Israelis
• activist organisation: a group that campaigns to bring about political or social change
• Palestinian liberation: freedom of the Palestinian people
• Hamas-controlled: Gaza is controlled by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, a nationalist Sunni Islamist political organisation that is listed as a terrorist organisation
• humanitarian crisis: an event or series of events that represent a critical threat to the health, safety and wellbeing of a large group of people
• persecution: being treated badly because of one’s religion, sexual orientation, gender or political beliefs
• global citizens: people informed and passionate about the issues of the whole world, not just the country they live in
• extremist behaviour: behaviour based on rigid beliefs that fall outside the norms of society and reject democracy, the rule of law and human rights for all
• biennial event: an event that occurs every two years
• rubber bullets: rubber coated bullets fired from a gun. These are designed to hurt but not kill and are used by police to control violent crowds during riots
• tear gas: a chemical weapon used by police during protests that irritates people’s eyes
• stun grenades: grenades that make a load noise and bright flash in order to disorientate someone but not hurt them
• rebuked: express strong disapproval towards someone

EXTRA READING
What is a ‘riot’ and why do they happen?
What is the Israel and Palestine conflict?
Pen mightier than sword in conflict

QUICK QUIZ
1. What is the Land Forces expo?
2. What is the name of the combined activist group that was protesting against the expo?
3. How many protesters were involved in Wednesday’s riots?
4. How many people were arrested for their behaviour towards police?
5. How did the Prime Minister respond to the actions of protesters?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. What could you do?
Can you think of a creative, peaceful and nonviolent way that people can show that they do not agree with having the Land Forces expo in Melbourne?

Time: allow at least 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Civics and Citizenship, Personal and Social Capability

2. Extension
“Kids News should not report stories like this. Kids don’t need to know about violent protests or wars and conflicts in the world.”

Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Write a paragraph that explains your point of view on this question.

Time: allow at least 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Civics and Citizenship, Personal and Social Capability

VCOP ACTIVITY
Summarise the article
A summary can be a really good way to grab the main idea plus some key points in the article as a highlight. Think of the summary like a little advertisement or extract you could use to encourage people to read the article in detail. You want to give them an overview of the article that includes the main idea (being able to tell the audience what the article is about in one sentence), plus a few of the key points of the information.

Remember to re-read your summary to check that it is clear, concise and makes sense to the audience who haven’t read the article yet. You need to make language choices that allow you to explain the information in only a few sentences.