Subject: From a (Hawthorn) "hostage"
Sunday 19th July 1998
Well, technically, it is probably from one who was unlawfully imprisoned
at the Hawthorn Town Hall by the mob. The reason for this is that we could
not leave with any safety for several hours after the meeting until most
of the mob dispersed.
The worst part was the incredible
attitude of the police. In hindsight, they were obviously told to make things
awkward for PHON supporters to get in. I thought it strange when I arrived
that a police officer told me to go to the other side of the barricade. When
I went around the mob and pushed my way in there, there was no break in the
barricade and the line of police to enter. Curiously, a man in the mob at
the barricade told me to go around to the back, where entrance was undramatic
one hour before the meeting was due to start. But within 15 minutes people
were coming in there too who had been punched, screamed at and jostled...
even elderly women. There was even a report inside that one person had been
stabbed but this has not been subsequently confirmed. Nevertheless, it did
not help the frame of mind of those there at the time.
Above right: 87 year old One Nation guest, Wally
Dunlop, emerges bleeding from the violent crowd.
Then the police inspector came in and said over the microphone that, since
Pauline was not coming, if we disbanded the meeting immediately, the mob
said we would be let out unmolested. Great. He really was the spokesman for
the mob. Robyn Spencer called for a vote. Unanimously the audience chose
to stay and hold the meeting without Pauline. Being an old solid building,
the mob screaming outside was hardly heard inside... a point to remember
for future selection of venues for meetings.
Afterwards, when most of the mob had dispersed because of the cold near 8pm,
we were led out in half-dozen bunches with police either side. We were spat
at, yelled at and had our photos taken. The young girls stood out as the
worst. They had all been tutored by the
manual reproduced
in Monday's ANOTD. It is quite understandable that some people would
get very frightened by this. Afterwards I did react angrily but then realised
something. Whilst emotionally one would like to get some revenge after such
an experience, it is very important that we keep the extreme-right gangs
away as protectors in lieu of the police since that is what the media and
our other enemies want, of course. Oddly, the most vicious thug outside,
who was caught by the TV and print media, looked like a skin head. One Melbourne
station actually interviewed him!!
If someone told me this whole story, I would find it hard to believe, but
there were several hundred PHON supporters there who can back it up. The
sadest anecdote was a middle aged women begging the police inspector near
the door for some news of her aged father. They had been separated in the
mellee coming in and he had recently had surgery to his knees. She could
not get a report from the police for three hours and was naturally very
distraught.
Regards,
Barry M.
The worst part was the incredible
attitude of the police. In hindsight, they were obviously told to make things
awkward for PHON supporters to get in. I thought it strange when I arrived
that a police officer told me to go to the other side of the barricade. When
I went around the mob and pushed my way in there, there was no break in the
barricade and the line of police to enter. Curiously, a man in the mob at
the barricade told me to go around to the back, where entrance was undramatic
one hour before the meeting was due to start. But within 15 minutes people
were coming in there too who had been punched, screamed at and jostled...
even elderly women. There was even a report inside that one person had been
stabbed but this has not been subsequently confirmed. Nevertheless, it did
not help the frame of mind of those there at the time.