Australian Open protest labelled 'disgusting' as police forced to act
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The Premier of Victoria has labelled protest plans at the Australian Open as "disgusting" with police having to prepare themselves. The protest is planned for Sunday, when the men's final with take place in Melbourne. Huge amounts of eyes will be on the event and anti-Australia Day protesters are poised to team up with pro-Palestinian protesters in the city centre before marching towards the sporting venue.
Victoria Police expects up to 30,000 people to attend on Sunday. Jacinta Allan, the Victoria Premier, has urged protesters to not cause unsavoury scenes with the eyes of the world set to be on Australia. She said: “To target the Australian Open would be a disgusting act. That would really break the patience of the public.”.
A police statement on Thursday: "Victoria Police has been extensively planning for Australia Day and the associated community events and rallies. We’re well prepared for all major events and will have a highly visible presence throughout the entire CBD to ensure they can occur safely.
A spokesman for Tennis Australia and Melbourne and Olympic Park Trust said it was working with police to “ensure that planned protest activity does not impact the tournament”. The men’s semi-finals will take place on Friday with 10-time champion Novak Djokovic, who saw off Carlos Alcaraz on Wednesday, taking on Olympic winner Alex Zverev. World No.1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner will take on America's hope Ben Shelton as they all eye spots in the final.
There are annual calls for Australia Day to be abolished or the date to be changed - the public holiday branded Invasion Day by protesters supporting the rights of First Nations people. Three years ago a Captain Cook statue was doused in red paint on the eve of Australia Day. A protest group last year claimed on social media that the march was an act of “solidarity with Indigenous peoples in their ongoing struggle for justice”.
