Masked protesters clashing with police in Melbourne over the weekend take their cues from Antifa, according to one former Marxist and now-academic, who say the city’s radical left has adopted the tactics of America’s most notorious protest movement.
On Oct. 19, counter-protesters mobilised against the “March for Australia” rally against the government’s immigration policy, allegedly arming themselves and throwing heavy rocks, glass bottles, and rotten fruit at police, resulting in two officers being injured.
Many even brought umbrellas to block police pepper spray.
West Metro Commander Wayne Cheesman for the first time blamed left-wing protest groups for the violence, while praising the March for Australia group for being peaceful
“The people that came to pick a fight with police were the issue-motivated people on the left,” Cheesman said in a strongly worded press conference after, singling out the group called the “United Against Racism: Migrants and Refugees Are Welcome.”
He blamed about 40-50 organised “hardcore protestors” for trying to clash with the immigration protest, while also confronting police.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan condemned the left-wing violence, calling it “unacceptable” and “not tolerated.”
“We’ve had some significant size protests in cities, in Melbourne, in Sydney, around the country, that have been peaceful, that haven’t seen this level of violence. What we saw yesterday was a very different pattern of behaviour,” Allan said.
