SAD DAY...

Twenty-seven police officers were injured and 42 people were arrested today following a violent anti-war protest outside a weapons expo in Melbourne City.  About 1500 people descended on the City this morning against the Land Forces Defence Expo being held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

It was the city's largest protest in 24 years with about 1000 officers, from both Victoria and New South Wales, deployed. Protesters were accused of throwing projectiles like rocks, suspected human faeces, horse manure and balloons filled with unknown liquids at officers following a clash about 7am. Scenes became more violent throughout the day before dying down by the afternoon.

Violence and war are not stopped by further violence an escalation of conflict. War is a vile thing and it should be stopped. However, these protesters were obviously unaware of Satyagraha...

Satyāgraha (from Sanskrit: सत्याग्रह; satya: "truth", āgraha: "insistence" or "holding firmly to"), or "holding firmly to truth", or "truth force". This  is a particular form of nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. Someone who practises satyagraha is a satyagrahi. The term satyagraha was coined and developed by Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948) as early as 1919. Gandhi practised satyagraha as part of the Indian independence movement and also during his earlier struggles in South Africa for Indian rights.

Non-violent protesting is more effective in furthering one's cause and making people aware of wrongdoing, than is violent and antisocial behaviour. You cannot purport to be a peace activist by injuring others and putting innocent lives at risk. It is shameful, it is wrong, it is counterproductive. A sad day for Melbourne. More to come this week, unfortunately...

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme