For the third day, angry contraction workers have been joined by anti-lockdown and anti vaccination protesters. Now the Victorian government is warning police have been told to use any force necessary to end the riots.
Police have made their first arrests on day three of Melbourne’s protests, after promising new tactics to tackle angry protesters hitting Melbourne.
Riot police have deployed pepper spray to disperse the crowd of protesters and construction workers as they march down Elizabeth St in Melbourne’s CBD.
A large police presence has formed at the intersection of Elizabeth and Bourke streets in the heart of Melbourne.
Police made their first arrests in the morning as riot police stood guard at the entrance to CFMEU headquarters, the union which many of the protesters are members.
Anti-vaccine protests
While many of the protesters are opposed to vaccines, many of the protesters are angry the government had mandated all construction workers must be vaccinated by the end of the week.
That led to protests on Friday, and prompted the government to announce a two week halt to construction.
The protests have escalated since then, with three officers injured and a TV reporter attacked live on air.
Police on force
Police have been interrogating anyone passing by the CFMEU building.
A man wearing a cap and a hi-vis orange vest was handcuffed about 9.45am.
By 11.30am, the group of about 70 protesters marched down Elizabeth St.
The group, which has begun to grow in size, has been chanting “every day, every day” as they walk laps of the CBD, trailed by police.
The demonstration has shut down key CBD public transport and traffic routes.
Telegram for peace
Construction workers on encrypted messaging app Telegram have pleaded with some of the more aggressive demonstrators to engage in a peaceful March on Wednesday.
After gathering at the CFMEU in the morning, protestors shut down traffic on the West Gate Freeway, lighting flares and chanting “fuck Dan Andrews” and “fuck the jab” before being met with rubber pellets and pepper spray by riot police.
Many of the protestors on Tuesday were wearing hi-vis clothes, but it was not clear how many were CFMEU members.
The Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said not all the protesters were connected to the union.
“I think there were some people there who you would say were from the building industry. There were others who were not from the building industry,” Mr Andrews said.
