Thread by @edengillespie

THREAD: I've spoken to experts about claims that #faketradies infiltrated the construction worker protests in Melbourne.

They told me we're seeing the far-right and anti-lockdown personalities co-opting the concerns of the working class. bit.ly/39ogPyY

Experts stopped short of claiming far-right individuals ‘orchestrated’ the event and said the issue needs nuanced reporting.
bit.ly/39ogPyY

.@elisethoma5 said we're seeing "the label of far-right" used more broadly to describe people that are disliked.

“There are objectionable people who aren't far-right. There's little evidence that yesterday's protest was coordinated by the far-right.”
bit.ly/39ogPyY

Dr Kaz Ross pointed out that there was a mix of people at the protests "with a mix of concerns."

She said there could be an overlap between construction workers and the anti-lockdown movement and that some 'Neo-Nazis' may also be construction workers. bit.ly/39ogPyY

.@elisethoma5 said there's been an emergence of livestreamers & content creators who've capitalised on the growing popularity of the movement.

“Protests are inherently performative and the way you see performance these days is on your screen."
bit.ly/39ogPyY

I asked ACTU what evidence they had that Neo-Nazis and the far-right had orchestrated the event.

They said: “for months we have been seeing these extremist groups targeting unions on social media and spreading misinformation about the vaccines."
sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/…

The timeline went roughly like this:

9ish: Livestreamer turns up to film a dozen workers
10am: Melbourne anti-lockdown ppl catch wind of the event/promote it on Telegram
11ish: Setka talks to protesters, anti-lockdown ppl arrive, clashes ensue
Arvo: More ppl turn up, more riots

About 6pm last night: Melbourne anti-lockdown protesters publish a flyer in encrypted chat promoting a protest for the next morning.

They tell people: "bring your friends and family in support. Wear work gear."