Police blasted for Aidex violence

Police blasted for Aidex violence

The Commonwealth ombudsman has condemned as "inexcusable" the methods used by Australian Federal Police against protesters during the Aidex demonstration in Canberra in November 1991.

A report released by the ombudsman on September 28 states that AFP training in crowd control techniques was inadequate and that there was "a breakdown of command and control".

The report said that police violence had included "lifting and pulling demonstrators by their hair, dragging them by their arms, throwing demonstrators into crowds, kneeing them in the back and head, pulling them by the ears, using 'painful and potentially injurious holds', and jabbing compliant protesters with batons", according to Dr Hannah Middleton from the Australian Anti-Bases Campaign Coalition.

More than 50 protesters and several police were injured during the protests. The methods used by the police to disperse the protesters led to broken arms, wrists, fingers and feet, bruising and abrasions.

"Police are claiming that just a few of their members lost control, but the ombudsman's report makes it clear that the force as a whole was culpable", Dr Middleton said.

According to Dr Middleton, the reputation of the peace movement was damaged by claims that protesters provoked the violence. The protesters were labelled "terrorists" by former RSL president Sir William Keys and Brigadier Adrian d'Hage.

"We felt an apology was due, because of the way we were slandered, but that hasn't been forthcoming", she said.

While it is unlikely that another arms bazaar like Aidex will be held, Dr Middleton says arms exhibitions are carried out regularly in conjunction with aerospace exhibitions.

The problem for peace protesters is that these exhibitions are conducted alongside family-oriented aerial displays. Thousands of people attend these exhibitions, which involve military and civilian technology.

From GLW issue 118