Police, protesters clash outside Burmese Embassy

Fluges, dashing robocop overalls and technical terms aside you have not addressed the facts I pointed out. Have you decided to stop while you only look mildly ignorant?

I believe that the Government will protect your right to demonstrate peacefully. Break that trust or become violent in any manner and expect that you will be treated accordingly.

Thats very swanky Robocop looking outfit. No doubt practicle as well as stylish. Maybe the Police should be getting around in that gear all the time.

Thanks DJ – I didn’t know the technical police term for that particular tactic.

Fluges, ah yes, now I see it, that old chestnut – the classic no look backwards hands down kickaroo to the cods. Can’t believe that I didn’t see it after the first thirty times I looked.

NOBODY HAS ANSWERED MY QUESTION. Why did the Police get involved? It was in the footage and was focused upon by several agencies. Perhaps it was the attempted lighting of a flag next to the Police which no doubt would have been raised so the whole crowd could see… dripping burning fuel down onto the Police below and also on the infants being carried in the crowd.

Spoiling for confrontation? Brute force? Are you serious? One arrest that was let go without charge. No injuries to anybody and regardless of this the demonstration CONTINUED.

It could also be clearly seen that there were senior Police present talking to the demonstrators and that they obviously were not prepared to follow limitations placed upon them with the view to maintaining the peace.

DJ,

My point is that your ‘very reasonable limits’ have been wound back to ‘one wrong move and we thump ’em’.

Police officers should not be seen as so readily wading in to restore the peace by way of force.

The overwhelming impression given by today’s coverage, preceeded by the APEC vision, is that the cops were spoiling for a confrontation, to be settled by brute force. Do the Police have negotiators? Could save a heap of bad PR and compo claims.

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/235/canberra2burmaprotestwicj6.jpg

Photo from the SMH. Can you see the foot of the cop on the right? Looks like he’s giving the guy on the ground a sly, backward kick in the balls!

SBS News also addresses the violent history of protests by these people…

http://www.worldnewsaustralia.com.au/region.php?id=140300&region=7

I note with interest that nobody has mentioned why the arrest was made…. Fluges, you seem to have a limited grasp on everything relating to todays incident… do tell…. share your outrage and explain to everybody why this travesty occurred.

You have no idea. Did the Police stop the protest, cause it to be shortened in length, deny media coverage or protest movement between locations?

A dog barking from over 30m away from somebody is hardly ‘snarling’. Woof – the neighbors puppy made a noise and could kill us all at any moment. Arghhhh the terror! Hysteria! Brutal Police you claim – where were they? Did I miss something?

Canberra resembling Rangoon? Are you on drugs or not taking prescribed medication? If you saw the local news you must have missed the part where a male demonstrator clearly stated that he had no problem with the Police today – the footage aired put him in the middle of the incident where all the cowardly thugs dressed as robocop overzealously set upon the peaceful crowd.

Take a child to a protest and you should expect the child to be taken away.

Protest beyond the very reasonable limits placed upon you by society and expect consequences.

Fluges, I thoroughly agree.
I’m no Police hater, but the thuggery demonstrated recently by Police allowed to ‘control’ small crowds is totally out of keeping with any sense of measured reaction to the perceived threat.

Someone up the chain of command is instructing/permitting/promoting this over-reaction to semi-organised demonstrations.

Has this whole reaction taken on a political bent? Does it assist a government doing badly in the polls? I don’t know, but I don’t like it.

I was a bit shocked by the footage they showed on the news (Win I think?). The cops took down this one guy, then when he friend tried to run up to him a cop grabbed him with a hand over the face and slammed him down on the ground. Didn’t know we had Hulk Hogan wannabies on the force.

The police in this country are out of control. Witness their behaviour at APEC. And now, when the whole free world is protesting about the events in Burma, 60 protesters in Canberra, mainly members of the local Burmese community chanting for peace and democracy, are set upon by overzealous, cowardly thugs, who turn up dressed as robocops, compete with snarling dogs. 40 riot police with dogs to ‘control’ 60 men, women and children, is plainly an hysterical over-reaction. Their numbers and thuggish, violent behaviour is inciteful in itself.

Of course, given enough notice, the coppers would have erected a fence 2km from the Burmese Embassy, costing several million dollars, and declared a seclusion zone or something. Thank God they were caught by surprise and didn’t have time to plan.

A photograph in the Sydney Morning Herald shows a pregnant Burmese lady being pushed to the ground. The Age describes police pushing a woman holding her crying 2 year-old daughter. This level of violence against Australian citizens, who are merely trying to exercise their democratic rights in a ‘free’ country, is disgusting. Of all the protests around the world that I just saw on the television, Canberra most resembled Rangoon.

If the people who are living under an oppressive system can remain mostly peaceful, what excuse do these protesters have? If they want to get violent and abusive, do it online (not here). Don’t attack the Police.

uh, there are lots of shit parents out there … I dunno!

and your point is what jey ?

I’ve seen small children at much more inappropriate places – heavy metal concerts, for instance.

“who brings a small child to a protest ” – an unfit parent.

I think that the Police are a bit bent. There is something wrong with them. Maybe a few things actually…

Why are the fuck are they protesting here? Sure, it sucks balls whats happening over in Burma, but its not like the Australian Government is against the protesters. Do you know who they are protesting against? The Chinese in general? I don’t see what this achieves being in Australia.

If anything, the Police are just trying to remove them because they are being a public pain in the arse by blocking the road.

If they slow down my trip past there on my way home this afternoon, I’ll have a reason to protest as well.

Wow, that sounds like a Resistance press release!

who brings a small child to a protest – peaceful or not – asking for trouble IMHO