protest – DISACCORDS

Sydney: Anzac heckler charged over offensive yells

25 April 2017 – A man has been charged with offensive behaviour after he yelled out during the one minute’s silence at the Anzac Day dawn service in Sydney’s CBD.

The 32-year-old man interjected during the minute of silence between The Last Post and Reveille at the commemoration service in Martin Place on Tuesday.

“The courageous will never be silent as long as these wars continue. Senseless violence. Stop the wars. Bring peace to the world,” he yelled.

The man was arrested and later charged with behaving in an offensive manner in a public place, a police spokeswoman told journalists.

He was granted conditional bail to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on May 18.

Self-styled “General” Joseph Mekhael, 32, posted a picture of himself giving the thumbs up after being released on conditional bail earlier today.

“I just got out of jail after disrupting the celebration of war that is #anzacday and being assaulted by some of Sydney’s weakest pencil-necked police puppets!” he wrote.

On Monday, a war memorial in Melbourne was defaced with anarchist symbols and anti-war slogan “War is Murder”.

The red paint was scrubbed off the brick monument outside Warrandyte RSL in the city’s north ahead of Tuesday’s commemorations.

Sydney: Four arrested as protesters clash with police outside Villawood detention centre

25 March 2017 – Protesters have camped outside Villawood detention centre overnight despite the arrest of four people yesterday.

The riot squad was called in at 3.30pm after an initial group of 30 protesters grew to around 70 and began blocking traffic on Birmingham Road.

Police said the group, who were gathered at the detention centre to protest the deportation of a 60-year-old Iraqi man identified only as Saeed, began to impede traffic in and out of the facility.

“This is kind the kind of horrible rise of racism we’re trying to fight here,” Josh Lees, a protester from the Refugee Action Coalition, said.

“We want to see a world of equality and justice not a world of division and hatred and racism.”

Protesters allegedly ignored several move-on directions from police and tried to break a police line, which was formed to allow traffic flow into the facility, just before 7.30pm.

Two men and two women were subsequently arrested.

The protesters allegedly tried to break the police line.

The two women, aged 25 and 29, were later released for breaching the peace.

An 18-year-old man, who was chased down a storm drain before being arrested, was charged with assaulting police and resisting arrest. He was granted bail and is expected to front court on April 12.

A 25-year-old man was issued with a Field Court Attendance Notice for assaulting police.

A police officer suffered minor injuries during the protest.

A small group of demonstrators camped out overnight at the detention centre to continue the protest.

One protester said they were “physically” trying to stop the deportation of the man.

“We’re trying to physically prevent a deportation of man who, if he is deported, his life is at risk,” she said.

“We’re not protesting, we’re actually trying to stop our government from violating international law.”

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection today confirmed Saeed will be deported.

Coolbellup: Roe 8 protests ramp up as activists clash with cops

A protesters is hand-cuffed by police after the fences guarding the site were pushed down

12 Jan – Police have clashed with protesters at the Roe 8 building site, after the fences guarding the area were pushed down, a woman holed up in a tree platform and more people chained themselves to machinery.

Protests ramped up on Thursday morning in Coolbellup, where clearing of bushland is due to continue to make way for the controversial Roe 8 road, which is part of the planned Perth Freight Link.

Journalist Belinda Cameron said a large amount of people had gathered at the site early in the morning, singing and chanting “give it up Colin”.

“Things have really kicked off this morning. When I arrived there were about 1000 people lining the gates that surround the site.”

She said that at about 7am protesters pushed down the fences surrounding the bulldozers at the building site.

“Police were quite outnumbered and several arrests were made,” she said.

“At the moment there are about 200 people still here who performed a sit-in around the equipment.

“There are also people who chained themselves to the machinery.

“I saw several elderly women walking around the site which has been partially cleared – openly crying, seeing what’s happened to their bushland.

“There have also been a few flare-ups between police and protesters and security has been brought into the site with several large German Shepherds now guarding the equipment.”

Reports say a young woman called Jacinta had set up in a platform on a tree, which is tensioned across access tracks. Any clearing work conducted would be dangerous to her safety.

Two other people called Koro and Jan had attached themselves to machinery.

By 10:30am police had made over a dozen arrests, with six people charged for trespassing and resisting arrest.

City of Melville councillor Tim Barling and City of Fremantle councillor Sam Wainwright were among those arrested on Wednesday, with protesters wanting work to stop until the March state election.

More than 100 police officers attended the protest, including plain-clothed detectives, mounted police and the dog squad.

Auckland: Police and protesters clash at defence forum

Police are attempting to stop the protesters from crossing a blockade at the Viaduct Events Centre.

16 Nov – Police have clashed with protesters in Auckland as about 100 people demonstrate against an event they say is a “weapons expo”.

Demonstraters broke through barricades at the Viaduct Events Centre and staged a sit-in protest.

About 40 police officers were also at Wynyard Quarter to keep the protesters at bay.

Members of Auckland Peace Action have gathered to demonstrate against the annual conference of the New Zealand Defence Industry Association, which they describe as a weapons expo.

Protesters outside the annual conference of the New Zealand Defence Industry Association.

The defence forum is attended by arms dealers from all over the world.

The conference coincides with the arrival of a flotilla of warships from around the world, which have sailed into the Waitemata Harbour to join the New Zealand Navy’s 75th anniversary celebrations.

Police and protesters clash outside the annual defence forum in Auckland

Police and protesters clash outside the annual defence forum in Auckland.

Auckland Peace Action spokesperson Virginia Lambert told RNZ yesterday that the protesters were prepared to stay “until forcibly removed”.

“We’ve come together to oppose the celebration of war, the glorification of war,” she said.

Protesters at the annual defence forum

New Zealand Defence Industry Association chair Bernie Diver disputed the weapons expo term, saying it was an industry discussion – with government – to support and equip the New Zealand Defence Force.

There would be no military-style weapons at the event, he said.

“We’ve got a couple of high-end personal weapons, rifles, which are no different from what you’d see at a hunting store.”

He said the protesters’ actions and descriptions of the event were misguided.

“It is really just completely misguided and an embarrassment. I think overwhelmingly most New Zealanders, everyday New Zealanders, are incredibly proud of the work that our Defence Force does, and I know that the companies that work with Defence are incredibly proud.”

Mr Diver said 300 delegates were prevented from entering the conference, while around the same number were stuck inside the venue.

He said the conference would continue tomorrow and its venue may change.

The world’s largest nuclear arms manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, is the main sponsor of the forum.

The blockade at the weapons conference in Auckland.

Last year’s event in Wellington resulted in the arrest of 28 protesters.

Melbourne: Police and Protesters Clash Outside Liberal Party Dinner

8 April – Police have used capsicum spray on protesters outside a Liberal Party dinner to mark the 20th anniversary of the election of John Howard’s government.

However, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is suspected to have avoided the skirmish in Melbourne’s Docklands by arriving by boat and entering the back of Shed 14 behind a police line.

About 150 people gathered outside the Central Pier function venue about 6pm on Friday to protest the federal government’s changes to higher education and the treatment of asylum seekers.

Students, unionists and refugee activists held placards and chanted slogans such as “No ifs, no buts, no education cuts.”

The demonstrators scuffled with police, including about 50 uniformed officers, as well as five mounted police and some Australian Federal Police.

The protesters yelled “scum” and “shame” at guests and jostled them as they arrived at the venue and were ushered around the rear of the venue by security guards.

Some of the building’s windows were broken, with officers using pepper spray on about 20 people, including an ABC cameraman.

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Auckland: No Pride in Prisons Protesters Bring Pride Parade to a Halt

21 Feb – No Pride in Prisons, a queer and transgender activist group managed to stop the Auckland Pride Parade from progressing. The group took this action in order to protest the inclusion of uniformed police and Corrections officers.

Approximately 300 protesters marched down Karangahape Road towards the Pride Parade. Faced with a police line, a handful of protesters broke through the line and managed to get onto the Parade ground.

This group stayed on the street for approximately an hour and a half and forced the Parade organisers to change the Parade route.

From there, a second group of protesters on the sidelines opened the barriers and rushed onto the road in front of the police float. The protesters then sat across the street, holding a banner reading “Queers Against Cops”.

This action follows the Auckland Pride Board’s decision to allow members of the police and the Department of Corrections to march in uniform in the parade.

“We took the actions we did in order to condemn the Auckland Pride Board’s decision to include violent, racist and transmisogynist institutions in its parade for the second year in a row,” says No Pride in Prisons spokesperson, Emilie Rākete.

“Given recent reports of racist police brutality and Corrections’ announcement to extend its ‘double-bunking’ policy, it is disgraceful that the Auckland Pride Board decided to include Corrections and police in the Pride Parade.”

“Corrections’ policies directly contribute to physical and sexual violence against trans and queer prisoners.”

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Melbourne: Two protesters scale 162m-high Arts Centre spire

Protesters climb a spire

19 Feb – Victoria Police says it will not press trespassing charges against two women who scaled Melbourne’s Arts Centre spire to protest against offshore detention.

The women, aged in their 20s, ended their 12-hour protest about 3:00pm on Friday.

“The Art Centre has informed Victoria Police that it will not be pressing trespassing charges at this stage against the two women,” police said in a statement.

They pair, who climbed the 162-metre structure about 3:30am, left a “LetThemStay banner on the spire.

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