Australia: Violence erupts outside Melbourne union office over vaccine mandate

Subscribe to our channel! Violent protest erupted outside a trade union office in Melbourne on Monday as crowds gathered to rally against a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for construction workers. Leaders and other members of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) were forced to take shelter inside as protesters threw bottles and other projectiles at the entrance to the union’s Victoria headquarters, breaking windows. People from inside the building sprayed water and used a fire extinguisher in a bid to disperse the crowd before riot police arrived on scene to clear the area. The CFMEU released a statement via Twitter condemning the ’attack’ on its branch, and alleging that the “crowd was heavily infiltrated by neo-Nazis and other right wing extremist groups,“ rather than being made up of real union members. The state government’s recent decision makes it mandatory for construction workers to have at least one dose