Victorian police were short of staff and struggled to control crowds at the notorious Let Women Speak event in March this year according to leaked documents that have been published by the Herald Sun.
The Melbourne stops of British anti-transgender campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen’s Australian tour drew international headlines after a neo-Nazi group was permitted to stand on the steps of the Victorian Parliament holding up offensive signs and making Nazi salutes.
The group of young men clad in black, many wearing masks, stood adjacent to Keen’s open-mike event. Keen, who also goes by the online moniker Posie Parker, later suggested that the group could have been staged. In the days after the event, she later distanced herself from their appearance and condemned their presence.
The report suggests that police struggled to manage the crowd, which was estimated as being 550 people, despite having predicted ahead of the event that as many as 800 protesters might attend. The report says on the day the police were 19 officers short due to unexpected leave.
The report also confirmed that police were aware ahead of the event that Victorian MP Moira Deeming would be speaking at the event, and they were expecting neo-Nazi groups to attend to agitate other protesters.
In a statement the police said the event was unlike other protests seen in Melbourne in recent times.
“Protests can be incredibly difficult to manage, especially when you have multiple groups of people coming together with opposing views, a force statement said.
“In these instances, the role of police is to keep the peace and prevent opposing groups from clashing.” a police spokesperson said.
The report also highlighted that police officers needed to be aware of people live streaming the event and alternative media outlets such as Rebel News and Common Ground Conversations.
OIP Staff
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