Written by staff writer
An estimated 25,000 people are expected to disrupt the Land Forces Defence Expo in Melbourne today, with protest organisers calling the event a “one-stop genocide shop.”
In response, Victoria’s Supreme Court has authorised police to use special powers under the Terrorism (Community Protection) Act (2003) for the duration of the expo, running until September 13.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports that hundreds of protesters had gathered outside the conference venue before dawn on Wednesday, with numbers growing quickly. Outlets are reporting protestors are throwing projectiles at police and grabbing the reins of police horses. In response, the Victorian Police have deployed the riot squad.
“This is expected to be our largest operation since the World Economic Forum in 2000,” a Victoria Police spokesman said, adding that hundreds of police had been brought in from regional areas to reinforce their so-called ring of steel around the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The biennial expo is an industry-only event and a key forum for interaction with prime weapons and defence contractors from the United States and Europe. The last Land Forces Defence Expo in Brisbane in 2022 attracted 21,000 delegates and 159 defence, government, industry and scientific delegations from 30 nations.
“This is where the generals, weapons CEOs, diplomats and defence ministers come together to do the deals that end in massacres,” protest organisers posted online. “Billions change hands at these events. Arms dealers will spruik their latest killing tech, and governments will spend the people’s money on weapons to use against us.”
On Wednesday morning, protest organisers called the heavy police presence “outrageous.”
