Melbourne police in standoff with graffiti artist perched above Pam the Bird tag on Bolte Bridge tower | Melbourne
Melbourne police are deadlocked with a man atop a major inner-city bridge following a dangerous graffiti display.
Emergency services were called to Bolte Bridge at 3am on Tuesday after reports a graffiti artist had climbed one of the bridge’s 120-metre-high pillars.
Police allege the man rappelled down the pillar and painted a huge Bird Pam sticker, which has been illegally painted on Melbourne landmarks for years, often in hard-to-reach locations and heritage-listed buildings.
A police spokesman said they were negotiating for the man to be brought down safely.
“He refuses to follow police instructions and come down,” the spokesman said.
“There are significant police resources in the area, including uniformed members and water police units.”
They said there was no threat to the public or road users and that one lane of the bridge was closed.
An Instagram page called @pambirdofficial shared videos of what appeared to be the top of the pillar on Tuesday with the hashtag #notcomingdown.
One video’s caption reads: “Lower taxes and bring me some shitty food! Let’s go girls and boys!”
In the same video, a male voice says: “I’m not coming down until taxes are lowered. I’m sick of paying this crap.”
Another video shows feet dangling from the tower and zooms in on a large police presence below before the man “throws the bird” at officers below. He then added the request for a blanket.
It is not yet known who the man on the Bolte Bridge is.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles told the ABC: “I think the system has dealt with the matter as it should… I think it is appropriate for the legal process to take its course.”
