Quote:Milo Yiannopoulos and his promoters will be billed at least $50k by Victoria Police for protests
Right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos and his promoters will be slapped with a bill of at least $50,000 to cover the cost of the police numbers required to handle violent protests outside his shows in Melbourne.
Hundreds of left and right-wing protesters gathered in front of the Melbourne Pavilion on Racecourse Road and Stubbs Street, Kensington on Monday night where they faced off and fought with sticks.
Riot police stormed the protest and used pepper spray to subdue the crowd, which included members of left-wing group Campaign Against Racism and Fascism and right-wing groups Reclaim Australia and The Freedom Party.
Police and protesters also clashed at Mr Yiannopoulos' events in Sydney on Tuesday night, resulting in charges against several protesters. The event was heavily guarded with mounted police, officers on bicycles, riot squad, marine police and police vans barricading the event after several arrests were made at his Melbourne show.
Victorian Police Minister Lisa Neville told radio station 3AW on Wednesday that up to 300 police were called in to separate the protesters.
She said those behind the event would be footing the bill for police resources.
"They'll certainly be getting a bill," Ms Neville said. "There were a lot of resources put in and I've had a lot of interesting tweets sent to me saying 'what a waste of police resources', but unfortunately in that situation, we've got two groups who pretty much set out to cause the harm that they did... try and cause violence and try and get on the TV so police are there to try and protect the general public."
Ms Neville said the cost would be at least $50,000 and added it was common practice for organisers of large-scale or controversial events to be billed if large numbers of police resources were required.
Ms Neville said police were in the process of working out the exact costs.
She was unaware if Mr Yiannopoulos had agreed to pay the costs, but she hoped he would.
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/milo-yiannopoulos-and-his-promoters-will-be-bi... The increase of Police Presence was a direct result of the Far Left protesters. Not the organizers of the Event.
All cost should fall on protest event co-ordinators and anyone arrested for disruption that resulted in the need for police presence.
Free Speech isn't Free if you are required to pay to keep yourself safe whilst doing it. The people that call themselves Anti-Fascists are actually engaging in incredibly Fascist behaviour.
The protest organisers speak regularly on the radio, news... Etc. They should pay that bill. For example Tess Dimos from Campaign against racism and fascism was on the news last Tuesday, the police should find her and send the invoice to her.
There would be no need for police to attend these events if the violent far left allowed free speech in this country.
It seems clear that the protesters involved in this case, namely antifa and associated far-left groups, protest political events like Mr Yiannopoulos' speech with the intent of shutting them down through sheer inconvenience, financial or otherwise.