Police Attack G20 Party Outside Parliament : Melbourne Indymedia

Some of the worse policing I have seen in quite some time. They guys were obviously fired up from the afternoon and looking for a fight.

Search and rescue were brought in to prise off several activists who had locked-on to a car place on the road by protestors.

Check the short mobile video and photo.

Bastards waiting for the cover of night to go in oink Oink Oink

Firstly, you need to do a better job of selecting your images to push your ideology. The still could easily come off as a lone, surrounded police officer under attack. The video appears to be of a group of mostly stationary police amongst a sea of screaming, camera-obsessed street-thugs.

What you need to do is find that one moment when the police put a foot wrong and you guys look squeaky clean. It only needs to happen for a moment or two. A million other moments will never matter. Pictures don't lie: it's just an issue of the selectivity of the picto-truth. Then you can sell the thousand words you want to paint.

Um, look at this photo then http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2006/11/130883.php
why does a cop have their knee on someone's head? That looks a lot like an assault charge to me.

666 THE DEVIL (GEORGE WARMONGER BUSH) : "Sorry to Oil the USSA Patriot Act in the Land Down Under, the Gestapo Tactics by Fascist Pigs, and the Global Bushisms but Oil comes First. FILL HER UP ????????"

Hey Australia, didn't know you had it in you! Much love and solidarity from Portland!

Of course it looks that way to you, it's selling it to others that I'm talking about. You're going the right way about it by captioning it as 'assault'. Captioning makes all the difference. Let's call this Children Overboard Methodology. The next step then, if that's the best shot you've got to work with, crop it to cut out all those other approaching figures (who I know were probably all just having a tea-cake picnic with their grandmas while treating sick puppies when the pig arrived and assualted somebody, but everyone else isn't to know that, are they.)

Somehow you missed the cops swinging punches. looks like you are the one being selective to me. get some glasses!

It will all come out in the wash with Anthony Kelly and his team of 'independent' observers from the Federation of Community Legal Centres.

Come on Anthony, step up to the plate , man. Tell us what you've seen. Give us an impartial account. We're all ears.

It seems strange that the cops are not in the usual body armour robocop formation. It all seems a bit to chaotic....I reakon that they are up to something, and any actions after this one will be met with a much more heavy response. Now that the stage is set for a "the protestors forced us to escalate" tactic, expect gas and dogs tomorow.

Of course I was being selective, that was my whole point. I'm telling you that the self-evident nature you guys seem to be placing upon the images is not and will not be shared by much of 'the other' out there, even if they see it on the web while surfing for sport news and porn. The constructed self-evidency of images, and the 'whys' behind images, depend on a whole range of factors. I'm not willing to judge either side collectively on the basis of these images, but that's me. I was making suggestions about getting your ideology out to those sleeping masses via the internet, which seems to be the chief project behind this.

that http://melbourne.indymedia.org/uploads/g20parliament.mov requires a rather unusual codec for audio - info on where to get the codecs and how to compile them into mplayer are here: MPlayer-1.0rc1/libavcodec/amr.c

i first found this info which recommends slightly different versions of the files: http://lists.mplayerhq.hu/pipermail/mplayer-users/2005-April/052653.html
test
it works :)
the movie's MUCH better with audio than without...

Dear Sir/Madam,

When oh when...

This was a predictable response by the police, as was the opportunistic use of a snatch squad earlier in the afternoon to arrest one protester identified by police intelligence as being allegedly involved in conflict with police on the barricades.

In essence, the damage to the two police vehicles -- and the more general humiliation of the police during the course of the day's events -- mandated a repressive response such as this. Rather than maintaining a vigil in the CBD, a better course of action on the part of protesters, in the interests of their own safety and well-being -- and based on an understanding of police psychology and the general political functioning of the repressive state apparatus -- is to disperse as quickly as possible following any event which demonstrates the vulnerability of police to militant protest. To put it bluntly, the police want *revenge*, and, if given the opportunity to inflict violence upon those deemed responsible for their humiliation in (not) maintaining the state's monopoly on violence -- a crucial aspect of its social composition -- they will take it. (And, of course, receive the support of the ideological state apparatus in so doing.)

Expect more to come in the days and weeks ahead, and in the words of noted revolutionary philosopher Jerry Springer: 'Take care of yourselves... aaand each other'.

How about the person who uploaded it uses a real sound codec, or even a free one. Seriously people, activists need to learn to use video properly.

Just an observation about the sound codec used in the video. That being it is an uncommon codec not supported on many platforms. You guys might want to use codecs in wide use on all platforms as to maximise the number of people who can listen to the footage as well as viewing it. Recompiling my video player to watch one video.. it's never goling to happen. This is the only video I've had trouble playing in over 2 years of using Linux.

violence
by Hans-Christoph Steiner Monday November 20, 2006 at 09:26 AM
hans@eds.org +1 718 360 4872

I am a socialist and a strong advocate of limiting globalizations, workers rights, human rights, and protests. But I think that this glorification of violence in this article is despicable. The protestors in this video were quite obviously full participates in the melee, and to pretend otherwise is, at best, folly.

Getting the attention of the media is an essential element of protest. Because of this violence, it is easy for the mainstream media to dismiss the protest as irrational violence. There are so many other creative way to bring focus to the cause that benefit everyone, look at the Radical Cheerleaders, look at the Yes Men, there are so many great examples.

We should not forget that the police are human as well, and often liberal, union members, etc. The movement will be only strengthened if we gain the sympathy of the police. We are guaranteed to lose the violent struggle, the established interests have orders of magnatude more destructive capability than we do. Peaceful revolution is unstoppable when the police and the military join the rest of the people to resist the powers that be.

Hello,

I have to agree with the comment above. Regardless of who initiated the violence all parties were willing participants. May I suggest activists take the time to read the following:

"A force more powerful. A century of non-violent conflict" by Peter Ackerman and Jack Duvall. Published by Palgrave in 2000 DD# 303.61ACK

It is an even handed analysis of several small and large scale conflicts violent and non violent over the past century, well written and an excellent starting point on educating yourself regarding the historical trends in activism. I know you are passionate and I applaud you that all I ask is that you look into this and consider.

Thanks
Kristy

I am really sick of people blaming the protesters for the disgraceful beahvior of the cops ! This happens every time the police turn violent. I wasn't there but I know what the cops are like and I can guess that the protesters were not being violent when they were attacked.