Today is the seventh day of THE Melbourne protests that began on 20 September outside the CFMEU office. The protests were instigated by mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for construction workers. The government took this approach because hundreds of new infections have been linked to building sites. The industry was given notice weeks earlier about non-compliance with public health orders. Despite that, Tim Pallas (Treasurer and Minister for Industrial Relations) said that during routine inspections almost 50 percent of sites were still not compliant.
A protest – perfectly normal and acceptable
Members of the construction industry who were against mandatory vaccinations decided to protest. People protest about issues all the time. Nothing wrong with that. But this turned into a riot as soon as far right radical groups heard about it. The tradies were outnumbered by the usual morons, Trump supporters, conspiracy theorists, neo-Nazis and opportunist protesters. They spread the message on social media encouraging their counterparts to get amongst it.
K mart special – high vis jacket, available in orange and yellow only, NOW $5 WAS $10
The far-right organisers urged their mindless followers to come in uniform so they could be easily identified. Not much going on upstairs I’d say. Most of them were wearing their nice new shiny high vis jackets that they had bought (via Click and Collect) from the K Mart at taxpayers’ expense. I got that information from a Tweet – that the high vissies were from the Kmart. Maybe that was fake news or false advertising. But that’s not really important.
This is the important bit
Construction workers were easily identifiable too. They were wearing their worn-out uniforms in dirty black or dusty grey with rips, paint splatters and often a union logo on the front. The uniforms made it easy to distinguish the majority of the troublemakers. And it wasn’t the construction workers. According to the ACTU president, Michele O’Neil there were more construction workers out getting vaccinated than participating in the protests.
And then there was this from Bill Shorten, former Labor Leader. I voted for him to be our current Prime Minister, but sadly it wasn’t to be. This is what he had to say.
“There is a network of hard-right man-baby Nazis, people who just want to cause trouble.” Bill Shorten claims there were some construction workers participating in yesterday’s Melbourne protest however there were a “lot of other professional troublemakers.” 9News@9News
This appalling riotous behaviour has prompted the government to shut down the whole construction industry for two weeks. It makes me feel sad for those workers who were doing the right thing.
What can be achieved in seven days?
I don’t know why I suddenly have the urge to compare this situation to God’s creation of the heavens and the Earth. I guess it stems back to my catholic upbringing. In six days, God created the world then He had a rest on the seventh day.
Here are some examples of His odd day achievements.
On the third day …
He created the dry land, seas, plants and trees
On the fifth day …
He created creatures that live in the sea and creatures that fly
And on the seventh day …
He had a well-earned rest
And what have the protesters achieved in seven days?
Destruction. Abomination. Barbarism. Unemployment. Further disease transmission. Beating up police officers and journalists. Perversion. The closure of one of the city’s busiest freeways. Fear in the community. The spread of the virus amongst themselves and to others in the community.
Here are some examples of their odd day achievements.
On the third day ….
Two vaccination clinics in the CBD were closed for a week because protesters spat on health workers. They continued on to the Shrine of Remembrance. The Shrine is a memorial built to honour all Australian men and women who have fought in wars and one of the most sacred sites in the city. There, the protesters pissed on the memorial, drank alcohol, shouted profanities and pelted bottles and golf balls at police. Even though police made 215 arrests at the Shrine, the perversion witnessed on this day won’t be forgotten.
On the fifth day …
Victoria recorded 733 new cases of COVID -19. The police arrested 94 more protesters. One of them returned a positive test and is now in hospital being treated for the disease. It’s hard to imagine how you’d feel if you were a health worker and had to care for that person. The police officers who came into contact with him are now in isolation.
And on the seventh day …
The protesters were losing power because their numbers were dwindling. Police had gained the upper hand and outsmarted them with roadblocks at every turn. Deflated, they went home to recharge their phones. Then they enjoyed hours of watching movies of themselves, publishing their best pics and footage on social media and catching up with the latest misinformation.
I’ve got three words left in me but I can’t write them here in case my grandchildren read this one day.
Photo: Construction work that looks more like destruction work at my daughter’s home in Tasmania. When it’s finished it will look amazing. She and partner are doing the renos. Great job Sarah and Tane!
