After the brutal eviction from the City Square, 1000-1500 protestors returned defiantly to the CBD for a rally that was called with 12 hours notice. After meeting Federation Square, the group marched past the city square now fenced and occupied by police and attack dogs. Eventually a General Assembly was held outside Trades Hall where a decision was made to march to the Treasury gardens which will be site of renewed mass occupation next Saturday the 29th. A General Assembly to organise the Re-occupation of Melbourne occured on Tuesday 25th at 6PM outside the State Library. Read the minutes at the Occupy Melbourne Website.
Read full article for account of the 22nd October protest and more photos
Photos:Occupy Melbourne Photos -- http://tahliaisabelpalmer.blogspot.com - photos -- Photos on Flikr Benjamin Solah: From repression to re-occupation
Blogs
The day as it unfolded.
Federation Square
Protestors gathered in the rain in Federation at 12 PM. They were once again greeted by the sight of the dog squad with at least four dogs there in an obvious attempt to intimidate the at this stage small crowd.
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| Dogs in the square | Federation Square mini-GA |
March to Trades Hall
As the crowd grew, a mini-General Assembly was held to gain consensus on a march to Trades Hall. The rain encouraged quick decision making and the crowd soon set off down Swanston St accompanied by a large number of police on foot and horses. The city square which only 36 hours before had been a home to a new community of people dedicated to creating the political space to struggle for a more equal and peaceful world was now fenced and guarded by snarling attack dogs. The use of dogs in this way is totally new to the policing of crowds in Victoria. The message about the purpose of public space in the eyes of the state could not have been made more clearly- public spaces are for commerce not for the people to assemble.
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| March sets off | Melbournes friendly face of policing |
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| Cops protect the real bosses | Red and rainbow flags fly | Nationalise the banks! |
The rally also stopped outside the Town Hall, the home of our Mayor Robert Doyle who gave the eviction notice. The statue of the baby outside the Town Hall rising above the police somehow looked to me like Doyle’s demonic love child! Along the way the colourful crowd chanted “Whose Streets, Our Streets, who square, our square”, “The people united will never be defeated”, “This is what Democracy looks like”.
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Doyle's demon baby! | Chilean - Education is a human right banner | Flowerpower! |
Trades Hall General Assembly
Outside Trades Hall in Lygon St which was closed to traffic, the 1000 or so strong crowd undertook the ambitious task of making democratic decisions together. As to be expected this was a little bumpy not least due to the exhaustion of many of the participants who spent 10 hours on the streets or in police vans the day before. A number of proposals were discussed. The first debate centred around the question of whether to immediately re-occupy a space in the CBD or to come back next Saturday to begin again. Although many in the crowd were in a defiant mood and wished to build on the momentum immediately by re-occupying, others argued we should spend a week getting organised and trying to build for the biggest crowd possible next weekend. A second proposal to not re-occupy today but come back to a site before the Queen arrives on Wednesday was made but dropped off the discussion list. Eventually after lengthy discussion and refinement of the proposal by the facilitation working group, it was agreed by the crowd to march off to a new Occupy site somewhere in the CBD to claim the space but not actually set up camp until next Saturday.
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| speaking at Trades Hall | Entertaining the crowd |
The second major decision to be made was where to go! Four proposal were made: Birrarung Marr, the City Square, Treasury Gardens and Federation Square. The Treasury Gardens were favoured due to its size whilst the City Square was argued for so we would show were not cowed by police violence. In the end the crowd favoured going to the Treasury Gardens. Interestingly as part of this discussion, the police liason team reported back to the General Assembly that police have been asked by Robert Doyle to forcibly evict protestors who set up camp ANYWHERE in the CBD, whether it be a park or the City Square! This was not surprisingly met with a loud boo!
Off we march again
The crowd by now had been marching and discussing for close to four hours, so off we marched but still in good spirits. Once we reached the police occupied City Square the crowd gradually drifted off Swanston st and surrounded the fencing. Perhaps in an emotional response to yesterday’s eviction, the crowd loudly and emotionally chanted “Whose Square, Our Square” as the police dogs barked madly inside the fence. A few people shook the fence and at this point more police flooded the empty City Square and lined the outside of the fence. The fence shakers were dissuaded from continuing by some of their comrades and the moment of confrontation passed and the crowd moved off again.
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Treasury Gardens
By 4PM we arrived in what will soon be Occupy Melbourne’s new home – the Treasury Gardens. A few short announcements were made and people either dispersed or remained on a little longer to chill out and talk to each other and no doubt attempt to regather their energy to continue the fight for real democracy and to curtail corporate greed in this country and around the world.
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| West Papuan activists calling for solidarity | Settling into our new home |
Next General Assembly – Tuesday 25th – 6PM State Library
Re-occupy Melbourne! – Saturday 29th – Treasury Gardens
missing property from eviction: Where to get back your stuff:
Spotless depot 197 Kensington West Melbourne
9 am to 4 pm. Deadline friday.
Legal Support
If you witnessed or have been a victim of police violence then Occupy Melbourne Legal can be contacted on 0434 126 515 or by email at: occupymelbournelegal@gmail.com
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| Another officer with no badge on the 22nd rally |
Mainstream Press
ABC online
Filthy Herald Scum lies
Supportive editorial from Murdoch's Australian - very surprising
Supportive Sunday Age Editorial
Photos on U.S. network CBS news of the 21st and 22nd Oct events in Melbourne
Comments
Try getting a job and save your money life is easy then!
Do you really expect the corporate world will reduce their profits and make things cheaper because of your protests?We all know that we get shafted by the big business and the Government with taxes like the carbon tax but most of you wanted that tax.
Try getting a job and save your money life is easy then!
If we allow this, how different is it to military/police rule?
Guess what most of the people there had jobs you are talking from Arrogance. What the police did was and is not acceptable in Australia. What it shows is that you are not allowed to protest, that you do not live in a democratic country. That you have no rights that you are just cattle. Go get a job why not you go and gain some education on the matter. It we allow this to occur how different it is of places that have military rule or police state ? Just because things look okay does not mean that they are.
Stop exaggerating and speaking shit we all saw what happened
If you think that eviction was brutal you live in Fairy land stop exaggerating and speaking shit we all saw what happened
Go get a job and stop trying to take over public land
Go get a job and stop trying to take over public land
You might be surprised at how little support you actually have
you must all have very understanding employers to be able to take the day(s) off work to protest. My view is that you are all in receipt of centrelink benefits or some similar payment and haven't worked a day in your life so as a tax payer who supports you ... why don't you stop the protests, go have a shower, shave and hair cut and get a job! Maybe your benefits should be cut altogether, then you will really know what it is to struggle. I don't see why I have to work my butt off all day every day for a weekly wage than what you all receive on centrelink and pay taxes so you can sit on your butts and cause trouble just because you can. So you got evicted ... so what! Grow up! I bet if you asked any normal, hard working Australian what they think and you might be surprised at how little support you actually have.
Why not just get back to work and be a good little cog?
sadly not surprised at all...
Most Australians do indeed seem pretty 'happy' (is it naivety or servility - who knows) to slave away for crumbs while those with money get to decide what happens to them.
Do you realise that you can't afford a decent house with good transport links and a decent school for your kids and a decent hospital for your elders because of the decisions of the 1%? Or are you still enamoured of the old right wing political footballs - oh yeah all those people on welfare are the ones pushing up housing prices to beyond a $560000 average in Melbourne. Really? It would have nothing to do with the upper class welfare of negative gearing would it? Or the failure of 3 decades of government to deliver government services under the failed belief that a theoretical 'free market' would deliver better public transport, housing and education?
So your superannuation is worth less now than its original capital value? Must be all those dole bludgers, surely nothing to do with the untrammelled excesses of the financial elite and a little thing called the gfc?
So you think China's going to save our economic skin? Don't be so sure. Making bargains with totalitarian powers never did work out well in the end. Just listen to their recent grandstanding about 'getting caught in the cross-fire' if we let US bases on our land. Personally I have a moral problem in dealing with a government that has no compunction about running peaceful protesters over with tanks and jailing people indefinitely for their religious beliefs. Call me sensitive.
All I hear in the comments of those to becry the protesters is a misdirected anger.
Seeing that protest is a waste of time and such a damn nuisance, why would you be wasting your mental energy discussing it?
Why not just get back to work and be a good little cog?
I hope your slavish vision never comes to fruition
Hey all of you Anonymous' or is that Anonymi (?), how about putting a name to your comments?? I hope that your vision of a world where everyone cuts their hair, works slavishly and shops on weekends to compensate for jobs they don't enjoy never comes to fruition. The Occupy Melbourne people seem like a broad group of people who are giving up their free time to work for a better world for the overwhelming majority of us (the 99%). I haven't participated myself so far but that doesn't mean that I don't support people focusing long overdue attention on corporate greed and corporate attempts to shut down the democratic process.
Totally
Totally.
Close to graduating medicine, starting career in Alice Springs
Thank you for your clever comments regarding our vocational contributions to society. I have been a participant of this movement and I am weeks away from graduating medical school, furthermore I have chosen to begin my career as a doctor in Alice Springs to address the immense need for health professionals there. My participation, like that of many others in this struggle, has only been possible because of an enormous amount of personal effort and sacrifice. Your claims that we are a collection of jobless, welfare exploiters is wildly speculative and inaccurate.
Instead of assuming that we are participating because we have no other responsibilities or commitments perhaps you could consider the gravity of the issues that face humanity and all other life on this planet. Perhaps then you too could prioritize contributing to positive change over attending to the demands of your precious jobs.
Thanks! Don't let Australian conservatism discourage you
Thanks for your protests! Despite Australia remains such a conservative country, it doesn't mean that people should stop thinking!
Have a look to what's happening all over the world, check newspapers websites from other countries. Don't be doubtful, people supports the current social movement!
Please outline the purpose more clearly upfront
The occupation has been timely and appropriate. However, when reporting please outline the purpose more clearly upfront. This will prevent criticism and maintain integrity.
Melbourne is a wonderful place.
M.A.Neofitou