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."

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Eden Gillespie

Eden Gillespie Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @edengillespie

23 Sep
1/ Fox has interviewed 'Real Rukshan' - a prominent livestreamer who attends anti-lockdown protests

He calls himself an "independent journalist" but is notably popular among the anti-lockdown crowd. In his livestreams, protesters have chanted his name & offered him donations
2/ Rukshan claims he isn't accepting donations. At the protest, he was praised while a Ch7 journalist was attacked by protesters & doused in urine.

Rukshan's livestreams have reached 70k viewers & he's been interviewed by global media, as well as Australia's own 3AW. Image
3/ In this clip, he compares Melbourne to "Communist China".

There is no mention of protesters smashing up a union building, protesters pelting projectiles at police or the rioting that occurred on Monday. Only the police response is discussed.
Read 4 tweets
22 Sep
1/ There is lots of wild speculation about a prominent livestreamer (who reached 70k viewers yesterday) being arrested. This unconfirmed claim has already spread like wildfire and that's why I want to address it.
2/ A key organiser of Melbourne's anti-lockdown rallies has just dismissed the claims, saying the livestreamer isn't there because he's too "unfit" and his "knees are cooked".

Yesterday, the livestreamer was complaining about the long walk. He'd been livestreaming for hours.
3/ I've seen dozens of people spreading unverified claims, including that the livestreamer has been deported.

I've put a comment into Vic Police but just wanted to say when reporting on this, we need to be wary not to buy into things a few people are saying on Telegram
Read 6 tweets
22 Sep
Police appear to be going hard and fast in their response today - questioning and arresting people on arrival.

Still a sizeable number of people marching through Melbourne's CBD shown in this live stream 👇 Image
People are chanting "every day" in reference to a flyer issued by a Melbourne anti-lockdown group yesterday asking people to protest every day until their 'demands' are met. Image
People are marching right down the middle of the road, setting off flares and blocking traffic. Image
Read 13 tweets
21 Sep
Victorian Premier: I think that was quite a diverse crowd and not necessarily in the best sense of that word. Many different people acting appallingly under the guise of a protest. That's not what it was.
Police Minister: If you're thinking about coming into the city today to cause violence and harm, just know that Victoria Police will deploy whatever tactics they need to in order to ensure that you are held accountable.
Police: We have seen groups
that contain people from the construction industry but they contain a range of other people. People are being encouraged to put on high-viz gear, to put on workware, to come in under the cover of a crowd…people who are tied up with the Freedom Rally
Read 5 tweets
21 Sep
There is a heavy police presence today as people rock up to protest outside of the CFMEU building in Melbourne.

An anti-lockdown Telegram group has encouraged people to attend today after the attack on the building yesterday.
The protest has been going on for about 40mins. So far there has been a lot of shouting and swearing at the police.

CFMEU boarded up. Mounted police and riot squad in attendance.
Some are angry about the claims "right-wing extremists" and "Nazis" orchestrated yesterday's event.

It's unclear whether these people attended the event yesterday but there seems to be a real mix of people here today.
Read 9 tweets
20 Sep
#BREAKING: Protesters are now brawling and damaging CFMEU property.

Protesters have smashed windows, kicked in glass and thrown bottles at the CFMEU building.
CFMEU are attempting to disperse protesters who have become violent and started destroying property.
We are about 7 hours into this protest now and it keeps getting more chaotic
Read 4 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(