The police and the CFMEU

[Dave The Man]

Would not Shock me IF the Liberal Party have Hired some of these Protesters

[David]

Some (seemingly relatively reasonable) assessment of crowd demographics here:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-n ... mbers-grow

Some in the crowd certainly appeared to have far-right sympathies. There was one who identified as a Proud Boy, someone who complained about the New World Order while wearing a Donald Trump hat, two Trump flags were waved by people in hi-vis, and a former member of the United Patriots Front was spotted in the crowd on the West Gate Bridge.

But for the most part, the thousands who gathered were not identifiably aligned with any political group or message, save for being anti-Daniel Andrews and anti-mandatory vaccination.

Some said they had been CFMEU members for decades, others were clearly young tradies. Some hi-vis gear had cement stains, others looked as they were wearing it for the first time. Many were keen to stress they had no connection to the far right.

Tanuki said it was much too simple to label those attending the protests as neo-Nazis or far-right agitators.

“I don’t agree with Setka saying they’re all ‘neo-Nazis’, this is dumb or sloppy or inaccurate. But they’re sent out by anti-vaxxers; that’s what they are. And their immersion in the anti-lockdown scene makes them predisposed to the manipulations of many of these influencers ... some of whom are neo-Nazis.”

[think positive]

i dont care who they are, if the idiot tradies go along with them, chANNEL 9 NEWS

"Commissioner Patton said police cars were damaged after the group converged on the vehicles and threatened officers.
He said lit flares, rocks and bottles were also thrown at police.
"Crowds like this, they're for cowards," he said.
"The type of activities committed by these cowards was disgraceful.
"This was totally unacceptable conduct."
READ MORE: Protesters climb on top of truck as freeway traffic halted in Melbourne
Late this afternoon protesters were seen walking into peak-hour traffic travelling at about 80km/h, hitting cars - including police cars, forcing trams to halt, setting off flares, drinking alcohol and throwing items at police.
More than 500 police from a range of specialist units were involved in diffusing the protest.
They used pepper balls, foam baton rounds, smoke rounds and stinger grenades to try to stop the protest.

[eddiesmith]

Just on that last point, why exactly? Are people going to try to get them fired? I feel like that kind of shit has infested our culture enough without picking off people from labouring jobs. Way to further divide an already deeply segmented society and turbo-charge existing resentments.

Well John Setka has said no one who protested will ever work in this town again!!!

Although that was at the same time he was claiming none of them were actually CFMEU members or real construction workers, so not sure how he is firing people who were fakes...

Bit like Dan, he can't keep his stories straight. Much like he says he didn't support mandatory vaccinations yet is a part of the government advertising campaign to get vaccinated...

[David]

[stui magpie]

Pretty good article on how it all unfolded.

The closure of lunchrooms was significant in a hazardous industry while the mandatory vaccination order did not account for the bubbling tension within the sector.

For some workers, it fed an ever-present sense of victimhood. For others, it pointed to the CFMEU’s lack of influence and input under a leader isolated from much of the labour movement.

Then on Monday came the trigger. Workers hated a proposal pushed by the union for no rest breaks and workers being paid eight hours for six hours’ work. Most construction contractors rejected the push as well.

People walked off their city building sites in their hundreds.

Senior CFMEU figures say far-right activists and anti-vaxxers exploited the situation, but it was wrong to say, as Mr Setka did on Tuesday, that there was “a small minority of construction workers” at Monday’s melee who had quickly walked away because of the violence of “professional protesters”.

Senior figures estimated that about 80 to 90 per cent of the protesters were construction workers. Others said they knew many of the people at Monday’s rally as union delegates and members. Not all were opposed to vaccinations or were right-wing. Some were annoyed at the union caving in on safety and workers’ rights.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/vict ... 58tiy.html

[Pies4shaw]

Presser now.

"The use of unnecessary force in the apprehension of the Blues Brothers has been approved".

[think positive]

Pretty good article on how it all unfolded.

The closure of lunchrooms was significant in a hazardous industry while the mandatory vaccination order did not account for the bubbling tension within the sector.

For some workers, it fed an ever-present sense of victimhood. For others, it pointed to the CFMEU’s lack of influence and input under a leader isolated from much of the labour movement.

Then on Monday came the trigger. Workers hated a proposal pushed by the union for no rest breaks and workers being paid eight hours for six hours’ work. Most construction contractors rejected the push as well.

People walked off their city building sites in their hundreds.

Senior CFMEU figures say far-right activists and anti-vaxxers exploited the situation, but it was wrong to say, as Mr Setka did on Tuesday, that there was “a small minority of construction workers” at Monday’s melee who had quickly walked away because of the violence of “professional protesters”.

Senior figures estimated that about 80 to 90 per cent of the protesters were construction workers. Others said they knew many of the people at Monday’s rally as union delegates and members. Not all were opposed to vaccinations or were right-wing. Some were annoyed at the union caving in on safety and workers’ rights.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/vict ... 58tiy.html

Thanks for posting. Most people seem to think it’s all about the vaccine. 6 hours with no break is dangerous. They absolutely should have tea rooms, we built a setup last year for a massive warehouse with a lot of it outside and everyone was happy. It wasn’t cheap.

Yesterday is the wrong way to go about it. Imagine how terrifying itwasfor the people in the cars. Let alone anyone else

[think positive]

[stui magpie]

I'm all for vaccinated Toadies.

[stui magpie]

Presser now.

"The use of unnecessary force in the apprehension of the Blues Brothers has been approved".

An earthquake is definitely unnecessary force

[roar]

Pretty good article on how it all unfolded.

The closure of lunchrooms was significant in a hazardous industry while the mandatory vaccination order did not account for the bubbling tension within the sector.

For some workers, it fed an ever-present sense of victimhood. For others, it pointed to the CFMEU’s lack of influence and input under a leader isolated from much of the labour movement.

Then on Monday came the trigger. Workers hated a proposal pushed by the union for no rest breaks and workers being paid eight hours for six hours’ work. Most construction contractors rejected the push as well.

People walked off their city building sites in their hundreds.

Senior CFMEU figures say far-right activists and anti-vaxxers exploited the situation, but it was wrong to say, as Mr Setka did on Tuesday, that there was “a small minority of construction workers” at Monday’s melee who had quickly walked away because of the violence of “professional protesters”.

Senior figures estimated that about 80 to 90 per cent of the protesters were construction workers. Others said they knew many of the people at Monday’s rally as union delegates and members. Not all were opposed to vaccinations or were right-wing. Some were annoyed at the union caving in on safety and workers’ rights.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/vict ... 58tiy.html

Thanks for posting. Most people seem to think it’s all about the vaccine. 6 hours with no break is dangerous. They absolutely should have tea rooms, we built a setup last year for a massive warehouse with a lot of it outside and everyone was happy. It wasn’t cheap.

It's about the vaccine.

Lunch room issue, masks, lockdown and other measures everyone else is following also bother them to a lesser degree, but mainly it's the mandated vaccine. Many tradies are anti-vaxx and of the qanon persuasion so it's a conspiracy and/or erosion of freedoms

[Dark Beanie]

I'm not sure they are necessarily anti-vax more like they don't like being told what to do.

Re. the article in The Age, there have been rumblings for a while about dissatisfaction within the CFMEU. The Mining section of the CFMEU had applied to demerge from the union:


https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/wo ... 302-p5770t

https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/wo ... 914-p58rit

[Pies4shaw]

I don't think the miners were out in force, though, were they?

[think positive]

I'm all for vaccinated Toadies.

hahahahahha oopsie!!! drunk at 8am!