Greens leader Adam Bandt has defended chaotic and violent anti-war rallies in Melbourne, where thousands of protesters have hurled rocks and assaulted cops.
Mr Bandt issued a call-to-action on his X profile last week about the Land Forces Defence Expo, scheduled to run from Wednesday to Friday at the Convention Centre in Naarm - the Indigenous name for Melbourne.
He wrote: Land Forces will be in Naarm next week.
Labor are allowing the largest arms expo in the southern hemisphere to spruik weapons of war for profit, when the community are desperate for a genocide to end.
It should not go ahead.
On Tuesday, demonstrators took to the streets to protest the expo.
Vile footage showed mobs of people assaulting police horses, throwing boulders, manure and chairs, climbing trucks, and trying to push their way through police barricades.
As protests escalated on Wednesday - with bins set alight and journalists pepper-sprayed and shot with rubber bullets - Mr Bandt defended the rally while speaking on ABC Radio National.
Adam Bandt (pictured with his partner, Claudia Perkins) has defended chaotic and violent anti-war rallies in Melbourne
Pictured: Anti-war protesters rtying to break through police barricades on Wednesday
Victorian Police clash with protesters during a rally against the LandForces International Land Defence Exposition at the Melbourne Convention and Entertainment Centre on Wednesday
Pictured: Demonstrators arriving at the protest early on Wednesday morning
What people are protesting about here is an end to the escalation of war, of starting to treat weapons manufacturing now as somehow an inherent good [is wrong],he said.
My message is always twofold.
One is that protests should be peaceful, and secondly is that people, including the media, need to pay attention to what people are protesting about and in this instance, people are protesting against proliferation of weapons of war.
On Tuesday, several protesters were seen grappling with the reins of police horses to allow other demonstrators to break through.
One man, with a long mullet and wearing sunglasses, could be seen repeatedly grabbing at a bridle before he tried to snatch a horse whip out of a mounted officers hands.
Another disturbing video shows demonstrators throwing what appeared to be horse faeces at a group of mounted police.
Officers were seen with faeces stuck to their helmets and uniforms as they attempted to control the crowd, with some officers using capsicum spray.
Anthony Albanese has weighed in on the demonstration, saying people have a right to protest peacefully.
But you dont say youre opposed to defence equipment by throwing things at police, he told Sunrise.
Theyve got a job to do, and our police officers should be respected at all times.
The protest has continued on Wednesday morning, the day expo is due to begin.