The Original Nations Tent Embassy at the Treasury Gardens was visited by members of the Victoria Police Force today. According to a message from Occupy Melbourne on Facebook at around 2.20pm, they were told to remove the tent or the police would be back.
Please refer to facebook http://www.facebook.com/occupymelb?sk=wall and twitter #occupymelbourne for updates.
Press release from Occupy Melbourne follows:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“Council Continues Campaign of Harassment and Intimidation Against Occupy Melbourne”
Melbourne City Council officers and Victoria Police appear to be working together in an apparent campaign that in effect intimidates and harasses the protesters at Occupy Melbourne, despite representations in open court last Wednesday that Victoria Police did not act on Council powers on Friday the 21st of November when violently evicting Occupy Melbourne from the City Square.
Protesters at Treasury Gardens have been visited daily by Council officers and police in what appears to be a campaign of intimidation and harassment, directed towards silencing the protesters in their exercise of political communication. Police and council appeared to step up the campaign this morning, with many protesters believing that an eviction such as that seen on the 21st of November was imminent.
This morning, eleven council officers attended the Occupy Melbourne protest site to order the protestors to pack up their signs, banners, marquee, and other belongings. Similar structures, such as those used by weddings in the gardens, have gone without notice. They were closely followed by a visit from members of the Victoria Police force who warned protesters that if they did not comply with the council directions, a show of force such as that seen on Friday the 21st was likely.
Today’s actions by Council and Victoria Police are one of a long line of harassment and intimidation with protesters reporting daily visits from Council officers and police.
Melbourne City Council’s reliance on their by-laws as a means to harass the Occupy Melbourne protesters is astonishing in the face of current Federal Court action to have the validity of those laws tested. On Friday, the Federal Court held that there was a serious question to be tried in regards to the constitutional validity of Melbourne City Council’s exercise of their by-laws to inhibit freedom of political communication.
A spokesperson for the Legal Support Team Sara Dehm said:
“Melbourne City Council ought to have taken efforts to establish the validity or otherwise of their actions before acting with Victoria Police in their extraordinary display of force on the 21st. It’s quite outrageous that they are continuing this campaign of harassment and intimidation despite the current court action. It shows a peculiar arrogance on behalf of the council towards democratic legal processes and a lack of respect for their constituents’ right to protest.”
Media Inquiries:
Occupy Melbourne Legal Support: 0434 126 515
Occupy Melbourne Media Team: 0438 428 116