Protesters have stormed Defence Minister Richard Marles’ Geelong-based electorate office, with some chaining themselves by the neck with bike collars.
The pro-Palestinian protesters starting arriving at the Brougham Street office in the CBD on Wednesday morning, with banners and signage slamming the Albanese Government’s support of Israel in the conflict in the middle-east.
Demonstrators have been refusing to leave the Corio MP’s office, sparking a police operation.
Some of the messages on the banners displayed outside the office read “Stop the genocide” and “Disarm Israel”.
“The group – made up of members of Jewish, Aboriginal, and other communities – demands that Marles and the Federal Labor Government withdraw diplomatic, economic and military support for Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestine,” a statement from the ‘Wage Peace – Disrupt War’ group read.
“They call upon Marles to condemn Israel’s devastating bombardment of Gaza and the West Bank.”
Mr Marles is currently on a two-day visit to the United States, arriving in Washington D.C. meeting the nation’s Secretary of Defense where he’s holding talks on the progress of the AUKUS alliance and the accelerated delivery of Black Hawk helicopters.
Mr Marles’ office has been contacted for comment.
