A large gathering of protesters in Melbourne, Australia was violently disrupted by police last night, with activists forcibly evicted from a public park.
The struggle ensued after roughly 100 protesters defied an order to leave City Square, and police said about 20 were ultimately arrested. The number of activists grew to about 400 as police began moving in, according to The Herald Sun.
About 20 people suffered minor injuries in the melee, according to The Associated Press. Only two were officers.
Video from the chaos shows a dramatic and frightful scene, with police beating, choking and dragging young people away. The main group of youths remained largely peaceful, locking arms to make it more difficult for police to break them up.
Other protesters were locked out of City Square by a large barricade set up by police, which also trapped many others inside. Police then began methodically dividing the protesters into segments, focusing on three main groups one at a time.
All the while, activists were chanting, "This is a peaceful protest!" and "Scum!" as officers dragged them away, one by one.
This video is from The Herald Sun, published Friday, Oct. 21, 2011.
This video is from The Telegraph, published Friday, Oct. 21, 2011.
