Protests continue to disrupt defense expo in Australia amid war in Gaza

By Tayyaba Nisar Khan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Pro-Palestinian protests continued on Friday for a third day to disrupt the Land Forces Expo in Australia.

The three-day defense and weapons exhibition in the southeastern city of Melbourne saw massive protests in the wake of the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza.

Australia's largest defense industry event, the Land Forces Expo, features over 800 arms manufacturers from countries, including the US, the UK, and Israel.

As attendees arrived at the venue, confrontations erupted, and several arrests were made.

The protests included slogans and sit-ins to draw attention to the destruction caused by weapons, especially arms supplies to Israel which has waged a war on Gaza that has killed over 41,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7 last year.

Describing the expo as an “extraordinarily dystopian festival,” Senator David Shoebridge condemned the presence of Israeli arms manufacturers, which allegedly sold their products to Tel Aviv for use in Gaza.

Urging the government to reject such promotions, Shoebridge said politicians were “looking for their next job” while companies were “selling weapons tested in Gaza.”

“And lots of public money going to foreign arms companies,” he said in a video statement on X.

According to SBS News, human rights groups are raising concerns about the use of excessive force by Australian police, who have employed pepper spray, rubber bullets, and explosive devices to control the crowds.