Watch Lidia Thorpe Rip Into Police After They Attacked Protesters Trying To Help Refugees
"How dare you people do that to innocent people? Is it not enough that you're locking up innocent people?"
Lidia Thorpe confronted police during a protest to stop the transfer of refugees to Christmas Island on Tuesday.
The Greens Senator joined activists outside the Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation in Broadmeadows, Victoria after an estimated 12 people faced deportation to the offshore detention centre.
“How dare you people do that to innocent people?” said Thorpe to the presiding officers after being shoved. “Is it not enough that you’re locking up innocent people?”
We're here in solidarity to stop 12 innocent people being deported to Christmas island. pic.twitter.com/q31HacGFsu
— Senator Lidia Thorpe (@SenatorThorpe) May 3, 2022
Advocacy group Refugee Solidarity Meanjin said immigration services giant Serco tried to take the detainees out the back gate to avoid the protesters, in a bus en route to the airport.
Police used pepper spray after the group of 30 tried to block the vehicle transferring the refugees out of MITA, tagging it with the words ‘free the refugees’, in an altercation that lasted for over eight hours.
“You are the criminals. You are the only criminals on this land. How dare you treat people like that?” said Thorpe. “Do you know how many innocent people are in [MITA]? Have you done your research as officers of the law? Have you done that? Because they are all innocent.”
Afterwards, when the bus is long gone and medics are helping the injured, this cop walks in and pepper sprays them all.
“Fuck off!” he screams. “Fuck off!”
Then he runs back and throws someone to the ground.
ACAB. pic.twitter.com/6okW6gSDxR— Refugee Solidarity Meanjin (@RSMeanjin) May 3, 2022
“Yesterday, at Stop Deportations action at MITA, we got a small but malicious taste of what prisoners in immigration detention experience on the daily,” said Close the Camps on Wednesday. “We were physically assaulted, pepper-sprayed, and mocked. [Police Public Order Response Team] cops relished in the violence. Serco guards gleeful in inhumanity.”
A Victoria Police spokesperson told News Corp that they deployed a “highly visible police presence in the area to prevent breaches of the peace, and to ensure community safety”.
Over 200 people are currently being held on Christmas Island, according to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.