Protesters in Melbourne have started clashing with police ahead of a planned march on a weapons expo, which is expected to draw about 25,000 people.
The city’s hosting of the Land Forces Defence Expo has seen people marching in the street since Saturday, with extra police resources diverted including some from New South Wales.
Hundreds of police officers, including members of the riot squad, have surrounded the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and blocked all entrances to the freeway.
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Today, on the first day of the expo, authorities are expecting up to 25,000 anti-war protesters to converge on the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
It’s expected to be the city’s largest protest in decades.
Nearly 1800 police are expected to be deployed today, equipped with special search and arrest powers.
The protest has already begun to heat up with demonstrators clashing with officers on horseback just after 7am.
Some individuals were seen grabbing the reins of the horses in footage.
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Traffic delays
Several roads across the city have been closed or have been impacted by the protest, including Clarendon Street/Spencer Street in both directions between Flinders Street and City Road.
The moving crowd has also caused temporary disruptions to other roads around Southbank and South Wharf.
Trams on routes 12, 96 and 109 are running in sections due to the closure of Clarendon Street/Spencer Street, while Route 30 trams are operating along a shortened route, and City Circle trams are not running.
Tram services throughout the city are expected to be impacted in the coming hours.
The Department of Transport is urging people to use city loop train services if commuting around the CBD.
Cost of protest
State treasurer Tim Pallas told reporters yesterday that the cost of the week-long police operation would be about $15 million.
And Premier Jacinta Allan said there was “no room” for “disruptive” behaviour.
The expo was organised before Israel’s invasion of Gaza after the October 7 Hamas attacks last year, but the war appears a major factor in the protests, with many attendees waving Palestinian flags.
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“We want Australia to not be complicit because it is actually against international law to be supplying weapons to Israel,” protest organiser Nathalie Farah said.
Greens MP Gabrielle de Vietri also announced she would attend the protest today, saying the convention should “have never been happening in the first place”.
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