Victoria
  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Victoria News
BREAKING

Arrests made as police move in on rough sleepers' Flinders Street camp

  • 746 reading now

Two people have been arrested as dozens of special operations police move on the Flinders Street Station homeless encampment, surrounding a small group of protesters and rough sleepers.

At about 1.50pm a man in a mobility scooter and a woman who had been stationed at the camp were arrested in front of a large crowd of people yelling "let them go" and "f--k the police".

Up Next

3.3-magnitude earthquake rattles Gippsland

null
Video duration
00:19

More Victoria News Videos

null
Video duration
00:42

Homeless at Flinders Street protest ...
null
Video duration
00:19

3.3-magnitude earthquake rattles Gippsland
null
Video duration
01:27

Toyota axes 2600 jobs from Altona plant
null
Video duration
00:24

Woman's body found on Melbourne beach
null
Video duration
01:46

Bomb squad called to Bourke Street Mall
More videos

Homeless at Flinders Street protest against eviction

As police move in, homeless people protest against their eviction from Flinders Street ahead of construction works.

Afterwards a man began pulling down barricades set up in order to begin work on repainting the station as tensions at the scene continued to grow.

A large crowd of onlookers had also gathered.

Related Content

A number of the homeless people who had been sleeping in front of the station decided to pack up and leave on Wednesday afternoon, following escalating tensions at the site and an intense media presence.

The rough sleepers have been offered temporary accommodation at a motel in Coburg.

Advertisement

The resistance to police is being led by a handful of protesters, not themselves believed to be homeless, yelling slogans such as "homes not jails" and "homelessness is not a crime".

Flinders Street between Swanston and Elizabeth streets has been closed to traffic and trams.

At about 1pm, police began telling journalists that the rough sleepers and protesters would be given 10 minutes to move away or they would be arrested for obstructing the footpath.

They also said journalists would be arrested if they did not move from the footpath.

Half an hour later, silence descended as trams were halted along Flinders Street and workers began unloading yellow barricades from a truck. 

There were chaotic scenes at the makeshift camp on Wednesday, as media and many members of the public crowded around the small group of protesters standing in front of about a dozen rough sleepers.

Some of the protesters became agitated, arguing about tactics, while the homeless people themselves mostly remained seated and quiet. 

Some yelled "shame" at a female television journalist. 

At about 12.45pm a spokeswoman from the Homeless Persons Union said police would "move in" within 20 minutes and that people had been offered a few days accommodation at the Coburg Motor Inn.

A Victoria Police spokesman said police formally approached those experiencing homelessness at about 12.30pm and asked them to relocate.

He said police were also monitoring the protest.

Earlier, at 11.30am, two dozen police arrived at the camp, followed by a large contingent of council workers wearing fluoro vests.

However they did not appear to approach the group of rough sleepers or their supporters, instead waiting a short distance away.

A small number of protesters yelled out slogans such as "homelessness is not a crime" and "shame Doyle shame" and "Melbourne city is for all".

A man who yelled at the group telling them to leave was taken away by police.

Mr Foley said 15 people from the camp had already been "successfully housed" while four others had been placed in drug and alcohol residential rehabilitation facilities.

"Since Friday the government has supported agencies to assist those at Flinders Street access housing and services," he said.

Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said scaffolding works had been "planned for months" as part of the station's $100 million upgrade.

"The project team has worked closely with Melbourne City Council and other agencies to keep those affected informed," she said.

The last remaining rough sleepers at the Flinders Street Station camp have been urged to accept a "pathway" out of homelessness or face eviction.

Coburg Motor Inn

The Coburg Motor Inn does not enjoy a good reputation on hotel recommendation websites.

Many travellers report they could not even stay the night.

On TripAdvisor, one reviewer notes he is shocked there could be worse motels in Victoria.

"If there had been a chalk outline on the floor or crime scene tape I would not have been surprised."

Another notes he "could not stay there at all would not house my dog there".

On Wotif.com one reviewer notes "There was chickens living in the carpark area! Actual live chickens!".

Another, perhaps ironically, notes as a pro: "Had somewhere to sleep not on the street".

On Expedia it is rated 1 out of 5.

More to come.

With Nick Toscano and Benjamin Preiss

Related Content