Here they are, noisily burning Mr Baillieu in effigy. (Update: For his response see my next post but one.)
Reports the Herald-Sun newspaper (hat tip: reader Ian):
"Police moved in to stamp out the flaming effigy minutes after it was lit, sending toxic smoke wafting through the mass of chanting protestors.
Mounted police were called in to control the crowd, which spilled onto Spring Street several times, affecting traffic.
Movement spokesman Jerome Small said he didn't think burning an effigy of the Premier was too extreme.
"We think it's a disgrace our premier is supporting an apartheid regime, that's why we're burning the effigy," he said."The original uploader of the following footage of the event onto YouTube explains, rather confusedly:
"Pro-Palestine protestors and police lined up outside the Windsor Hotel in Spring Street Melbourne.
Ted Baillieu (Victorian Premier) is inside the hotel with the Zionist Council of Victoria celebrating the expulsion [sic!] of Palestinians from their homeland 45 years ago."
From Channel 7:
(Incidentally, Australian prime minister Julia Gillard and senior ministers, as well as Ted Baillieu and his counterpart in New South Wales, have signed a request to the International Olympic Committee to institute a moment's silence at this year's Games in memory of the eleven Israelis murdered at the Games 40 years ago. Read more here)
By chance, I worked in the city yesterday. I walked past the demonstration. The morons were definitely outnumbered by police. Maybe 30 of them max? A guy offered me a badge, and I responded "go Israel". He didn't like it, but maybe I could have said something funnier.
ReplyDeleteI could have spent more time irritating them for amuesment, but these idiots are really not worth the time, and they live for confrontation. I ripped down half a dozen posters. There were no posters at all this morning
Thanks, Tim!
DeleteJewish news has a video report
ReplyDeleteFlames of protest fail to mar spirits
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKiuAEAx_TU
Jwire
Function Sizzles, Demo Fizzles
http://www.jwire.com.au/news/function-sizzles-demo-fizzles/25488
I see the protest was touted by the loathsome Green/Left alliance
ReplyDeletehttp://www.greenleft.org.au/events/51169
Ian, why don't you post on J-Wire. Henry Benjamin is a good friend of mine. In fact he gave me a lift home from the Yom Ha'atzmaut cocktail party in Sydney last Thursday.
ReplyDeleteThat’s flattering but I’m more of a news junkie than an essayist.
DeleteTry Victorian Students for Palestine too
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/groups/60552120358/
Typical disrespectful & ignorant rabble.
ReplyDeleteGood on Julia, Ted et al for supporting the 1 minute's silence at Olympic Games!