Ugly protest scenes spark pleas to ensure city safety
Civil unrest could make tourists think twice about visiting one of Australia’s major capital cities, with calls for safety measures to reassure the public.
Two police officers were injured when large stones and shards of glass were pelted at riot police trying to separate an anti-immigration rally from a counter-protest against racism in Melbourne’s CBD on Sunday.
The ugly scenes unfolded during the state’s crime wave, with the number of crime incidents in Victoria reaching its highest point since reporting began 20 years ago.
Victoria Tourism Industry Council CEO Lisa Patroni said public events attracting national and international attention raise questions for potential travelers who may be “nervous” about visiting Melbourne.
“We know tourism and hospitality businesses are doing their best to make guests feel safe, but this is a city-wide problem and tourism operators cannot bear this burden alone,” he told AAP.
“We need to come together as government and industry to identify actions that will help reassure travelers that Melbourne CBD is still a safe place to visit.”
Neo-Nazis were also present at “March for Australia” rallies across the country in late August; group leader Thomas Sewell had spoken at the Melbourne event before he and his members were alleged to have attacked an Indigenous site.
There have been more than 100 pro-Palestinian protests a week in central Melbourne since Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, causing disruption to traffic and nearby businesses.
Melbourne Committee chief executive Scott Veenker said it was time to get tough on people exploiting protests to incite fear and chaos.
He wants a system of permits and designated protest zones, as well as stronger powers for police to mobilize people when demonstrations turn violent or disorderly.
“Businesses and residents are calling for action rather than platitudes,” Mr. Veenker said.
“We don’t want to see scenes like this again”
Prime Minister Jacinta Allan opposed the idea of protest permits; Chief Superintendent Mike Bush confirmed in July that police had looked at the idea but decided the warrants were “not worth bringing in”.
In December, Ms Allan announced a ban on protests outside places of worship and a ban on demonstrators wearing masks, but the legislation was not introduced to parliament.
The Prime Minister said Melbourne’s CBD was safe and argued it would be “inaccurate and misleading” to conflate the behavior of a “small number of people” with those who move in and out of the city safely every day.
Victoria recorded the biggest drop in overnight domestic tourism spending in the June quarter, falling 11 per cent to $4.7 billion, according to Australian Trade and Investment Commission data.
But international tourism spending in the state rose 20 per cent year-on-year to $9.8 billion, and research from the Tourism and Transport Forum showed Melbourne remained the second most popular city for domestic travelers this spring.
Ms Patroni said Melbourne’s reputation as a world-class destination for entertainment, sport, food and culture had been built over the decades and remained strong.
“Experienced travelers are well informed about where they will be traveling and adjust their behavior accordingly,” he said.
“If they apply this to Melbourne, they will find that Melbourne is and has been a very safe city to visit for many years.”
