Firebomb thrown at South Melbourne venue as bar wars escalate
Two more Melbourne accommodation venues were attacked overnight, the latest in a series of firebombings and gun attacks that have plagued the city’s nightlife since February.
A molotov cocktail was thrown at the George Hotel on Cecil Street in South Melbourne at around 2.30am on Saturday.
A small fire was extinguished which caused “minimal damage” according to Victoria Police. The bar was closed at the time and no one was injured.
While a group of attackers fled the scene in a vehicle, the police could not identify those involved.
Police are also investigating an incident in Docklands where the glass door of Almina restaurant in Lebanon was broken at around 3.45am. According to Nine News, a jerry can was seen outside the taped-off venue.
The restaurant was previously firebombed in December 2023, and three criminals broke the windows of the restaurant and set the place on fire using an accelerant. The trio escaped in a vehicle.
Both incidents, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday, will be investigated by detectives from Operation Eclipse, a specialist task force designed to catch those behind firebombings in Melbourne.
At least 25 attacks on Melbourne accommodation and late-night venues have been reported since the crime spree began in February, according to multiple sources from the police, hospitality and nightlife industries.
The list of targeted venues includes Albion Hotel, The Emerson, Left Bank, Bar Bambi and France-Soir restaurants.
Police have confirmed that at least 16 firebombings, drive-by shootings or attempted attacks on licensed venues, as well as two kidnappings linked to the industry, are linked.
Federal and state police are investigating whether the recent spate of violence is linked to the tax-exempt alcohol trade.
They are investigating whether some opaque new entrants to the distilling industry are taking advantage of a $180 million annual tax break meant to incentivize craft spirit makers, according to law enforcement sources who cannot speak publicly, but critics say it distorts the market for nonconsumable liquor.
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