Federal Greens MP for Melbourne has come out against the October 20 decision to send riot police to evict peaceful protesters from the occupy Melbourne site in City Square.
In a statement (archived by Internet Archive 24/10/2011) Bandt said: ““Ted Baillieu and Robert Doyle have made a huge blunder by sending in the police, turning a week-long non-violent protest into a site of confrontation.
“The authorities should have negotiated with the protestors before resorting to heavy handed pressure.
“By their actions, the Premier and Lord Mayor have moved the situation from negotiation to conflict and have hardened peoples’ positions.
“It is no wonder that people are protesting. The richest 20% of households in Australian have 60 times the wealth of the poorest 20% of Australians. CEOs are getting huge pay increases and banks are posting record profits.”
“Occupy Melbourne protesters are expressing the frustration everyday Australians feel about economic inequality.”
[For more details about Occupy Melbourne, visit its website (archived by Internet Archive 16/10/2011).]