Victoria Police have arrested an agitator who caused a disturbance at the Palestinian rights rally held outside Flinders st Station, Melbourne. Thursday, March 28, 2024. pic.twitter.com/8d8ShkEHkw
— BOX4 (@BOX4TV) March 29, 2024
An Australian man who was being abused by pro-Palestine protesters at an illegal demonstration was then swarmed by Victoria Police and handcuffed while asking them to walk with him through the crowd to a train station.
Video shared by BOX4 showed the man shouting “if you don’t shut up I’ll come up there and kick your arse” at protesters gathered outside Flinders Street Station in Melbourne’s CBD on Thursday while “Allahu Akbar” played at high volume through a loudspeaker.
After being threatened and insulted by protesters yelling “I’ll fuck your mother” he was surrounded by police officers who told him: “You’re antagonising, we don’t need any of this, stop”.
“I just want to go to the train station,” the man responded. “The train station is free”.
As police moved him away from the crowd he said: “We’re going through the crowd. We’re going to show strength. We’re through the fucking crowd. Fuck these Palestinians. Let’s fucking walk!”
Police then told him he was being detained, and he asked “what have I done?”
Six officers then held the man down and handcuffed him.
“It’s the train station for the whole city,” he said while on the ground.
“I want to walk through the whole fucking crowd, fuck them, this is Melbourne, this is Australia.”
In the video the man’s words are subtitled “you smell them” but he appears to actually be saying “this is Melbourne”.
Victoria Police told Noticer News that they were “disappointed and frustrated” by the snap protest.
“Police had no prior notice with approximately 300 people attending outside the Flinders Street train station and illegally blocking the Flinders and Swanston Street intersection about 5pm on Thursday 28 March,” police said in a statement.
“A police station was closed down with all officers deployed to the demonstration. Due to the protest, many Victorians were delayed on their way home for the long weekend.
“One person who was not believed to be part of the protest was moved on. There were no arrests.”
