A group of supporters held vigil this morning outside the Melbourne Magistrates Court in solidarity with G20 arrestees facing a committal hearing. Some held a banner calling for the charges to be dropped, while there was also a demonstration of support from across the Tasman – the original flag of Aotearoa/New Zealand:

Corporate media teams struggled to get mug shots, but there was only a rather perfunctory attempt by police to record the event and its participants.

When most arrestees had emerged – proceedings were mostly concerned with bail conditions and the like – a member of the solidarity network read a statement [the original Indymedia post, which contained a link to YouTube video of this statement being read, is no longer accessible, but the video can be seen here].

The statement ended:

We condemn the attempt to demonise and vilify a handful of the people who were at the G20 summit in November. The police response is part of a wider campaign to demonise and delegitimise protest in Australia, and to frighten those who stand up against injustice. We are calling for all the charges to be dropped. Thank you.