Pro-Hong Kong, Pro-China Protesters Violently Clash During Melbourne Rally

The rally began around 7 p.m. and the crowd gradually grew to over 1,000 people with over half of attendees being pro-China protesters.

The scuffle broke out when pro-Chinese demonstrators disrupted the rally by holding up a Chinese flag above the crowd while cheering, effectively drowning out the organizer of the rally.

Among the chaos, a female Hong Kong native was violently shoved by the pro-Chinese attendees while an ABC cameraman was pushed by a man who also appeared to be attempting to attack his equipment.

Police intervened when the pro-Chinese protesters moved towards the pro-Hong Kong area of the rally but at this point, the groups had been scuffling for roughly 40 minutes. Authorities eventually formed a barrier while the two groups returned to their respective sides.

As the evening went on, pro-Hong Kongers were outnumbered by the pro-Chinese protesters who began chanting “one China” in Mandarin and called the opposing side “rubbish.”

According to The Age, one pro-China demonstrator yelled, “if you don’t like it, leave the country.” To which someone yelled back, “we’re in Australia.”

Around 9:30 p.m. police began dispersing groups as most protesters started to leave.

Later in a statement, the Victoria Police said that while no injuries were reported, two men had been interviewed regarding a case of unlawful assault and were eventually released pending summons.

The authorities stated, “We respect the right of the community to express their views peacefully and lawfully but will not tolerate those who break the law or engage in antisocial or violent behavior.”

Featured Image via Twitter /@ooobo (Left), @timlam_ (Right)