Wednesday, 11 September 2024

Land Forces International Land Defence Exposition

Gabrielle DE VIETRI (Richmond) (19:15): (837) My adjournment is for the Premier, and the action that I seek is to withdraw and call off the excessive police presence and cancel the remaining days of the Land Forces weapons expo. This morning I attended the community protest against the Land Forces weapons expo. I saw the most horrific police violence, including police on horseback whipping protesters. I saw protesters with their hands up being fired on with rubber bullets by riot police.

Members interjecting.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The member on her feet is entitled to be heard without so much noise so that I cannot hear her. The member for Richmond to continue without assistance.

Gabrielle DE VIETRI: I saw people who had huge welts on their bodies and blood running down their faces from being fired at by police with rubber bullets. I heard and saw terrifying stun grenades thrown into crowds of protesters, causing huge explosions. I saw clouds of tear gas billowing out across protesters, peaceful protesters standing there, sprayed at close range. Was anyone else in the chamber here to support their community? No. I was there, and I witnessed this. I was doing my job supporting the community work. The Minister for Police deployed this excessive force and then sat up in his ivory tower, not accountable, unaware of what was going on. By bringing in thousands of police and giving them expanded powers, the Premier gave them a licence to use and abuse that power. Excessive force used to intimidate and hurt protesters is exactly what I saw today.

Let us not forget the Premier could have cancelled this conference. Instead she doubled down and rolled out this excessive amount of police. People should be allowed to stand up for human rights without fear of police violence. The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but this Labor government labels anti-war protesters as violent. Let us be clear: the real violence is inside that conference with the bombs and missiles designed to hurt and kill people. It is with the 2000 extra police deployed with chemical weapons to be used against protestors. What I saw today was a violation of human rights under both international and Victorian law, and that is why the Greens called for this weapons conference to be cancelled. That is why we have called for an independent inquiry into the police violence, and that is why I am asking the Premier to call off the excessive police force and end this weapons conference.