‘Two-tier policing’: Victoria Police ‘babysit’ Extinction Rebellion mob

The recent week-long climate protests in Melbourne which saw 2000 police officers “pretty much baby sit this Extinction Rebellion mob” shows how there is now “two-tier policing,” according to Rita Panahi. Extinction Rebellion protesters took to Melbourne’s CBD for a week of traffic-stopping protests which disrupted much of the city’s returning workforce. Ms Panahi said the difference between the “heavy-handed response” to anti-lockdown protests, and the way the police handled the climate protests was “maddening”. “We saw that they did not have any tolerance for that (anti-lockdown protests) but Victoria Police had redeployed 2000 police officers to pretty much baby sit this Extinction Rebellion mob,” she said. Ms Panahi said it shows how there is now a “two-tier policing” policy while the reporting from the media has been “pretty kind to these characters”. “These people are deliberately causing chaos for people trying to go to their jobs.” Via news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site https://www.news.com.au