Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Jon Faine vs Robert Doyle on Radio 774 8 Nov

I listened to Lord Mayor Robert Doyle’s interview with Jon Faine on Radio 774 this morning and was very surprised to hear that Robert Doyle does not support an independent inquiry into the Occupy Melbourne eviction and the methods used.

He seemed to get quite angry at Jon Faine’s observations about the eviction of Occupy Melbourne protesters from the Melbourne City Square and was evasive when asked about the violence that occurred.

He was strongly opposed to an independent inquiry into the decisions and events surrounding the the eviction yet he stated that the correct actions were taken by him and the Police and that were “issues of public safety, malcontents, people looking for trouble, elements of professional protest, and people posing a risk to public safety”.

If that is the case, then what does Robert Doyle have to fear from an independent inquiry?  I am left wondering if he has something to hide.   The information I have seen to date does not back Robert Doyle claims.

Doyle even cautioned Jon Faine that he “must be careful about what he says and not over react”

I have seen many images and videos of violence during the eviction.  I think an independent inquiry is essential to determine exactly what happened. Violence against passive protesters is not acceptable in our society.

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1 comment:

Grant said...

Not sure what the problem was. The protesters were breaking the law by camping in the city square. Notices served, and when they did not move, the Police evicted them.
They moved to Treasury Gardens (I think that was the location), where they were told not to camp (illegal). They were served notices to move on, and told the council to get stuffed, so Police were called to evict them.
From all documents, the council has the authority to control who uses all squares / gardens etc.
Sorry, you break the law, you will suffer the consequences. As far as I could see, the Police used the level of force required to ensure that the protesters moved. Probably a little soft as overseas Police used tear gas to move their problems on. Having been exposed to tear gas in the army, it is a good deterrent (forces rethinking of "Get Stuffed" statements).