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Multiple arrests after police and protesters clash at the Sydney arms fair
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Multiple arrests after police and protesters clash at the Sydney arms fair

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More than a dozen people have been arrested and at least one police officer left bloodied after violent clashes outside a naval weapons fair.
Hundreds gathered in Sydney’s Darling Harbor on Tuesday to protest the Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition, a three-day event billed as the country’s premier commercial maritime and maritime defense forum.
Exhibitors include Israeli weapons manufacturers and other companies that supply that country’s military.
An attempted blockade of the biennial event, organized by the Palestine Action Group, escalated tensions with police as conflict ebbed and flowed during the five-hour protest.

Several clashes broke out in which pepper spray and other police violence was used.

Thirteen people were arrested, two of whom were soon released without charge.
Police struggled to hold back the crowds as they poured in around 8am, before further clashes and more arrests took place around 11am, as deputies inside prepared to question Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, chief of the navy.

During the later flare-up, four people were seen on the ground, while one officer was left with blood on his face.

Protesters were hit with pepper spray as police struggled to control the crowd. Source: MONKEY / Bianca De Marchi

Riot police were deployed to protect the entrance to the show at the International Convention Center Sydney, about 100 meters from where protesters had gathered.

Protesters marched to nearby Sydney City Hall before dispersing, police said.
Protest organizer Josh Lees said demonstrators wanted to block the convention but were met with a strong police force.
“We just tried to gather near the IMAX, which we said we were going to do, and the police immediately attacked us with horses and pepper spray,” he told reporters.

‘They made some arrests there. They injured some people there and forced us to return to this park.”

Police hold a metal barrier against a crowd of protesters holding Palestinian flags.

Protesters wanted to block the convention but were met with strong police forces, a protest organizer said. Source: MONKEY / Bianca De Marchi

Much of the protest focused on the NSW government’s role in organizing and sponsoring the expo amid the conflict in Gaza.

“Chris Minns, blood on your hands,” attendees chanted, referring to the NSW premier.
Defense Minister Pat Conroy, responding to a report that export controls were tightened on Tuesday, said the only export licenses approved are for maintenance, upgrades or production of Australian Defense Force equipment.

“We have not supplied ammunition or weapons to Israel in the past five years,” he told reporters.

“The only export licenses currently being approved are for ADF equipment going to Israel for repair, upgrade or production to return to Australia.”
Minns told ABC radio he was unaware of the circumstances surrounding the protests and had no input into decisions about Australia’s relations with foreign countries or arms manufacturers.

“They are not selling nuclear weapons in Darling Harbor this weekend,” he said.

The conference, focused on strength at sea, was important for a country dependent on maritime trade and undersea cables, the navy chief told attendees.
“The reality we face is that you don’t have to invade Australia to defeat Australia,” Vice Admiral Hammond said.

“To ensure our country’s security and prosperity at home, we must be strong at sea.”

Riot police officers stand in front of demonstrators during an attempted blockade

Riot police were called in as protesters pushed against the barriers separating them from the fair. Source: MONKEY / Bianca De Marchi

Protesters have pledged to meet every day of the expo.

Protesters lit several fires near the fair, blocked traffic and climbed onto a truck.

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