Lauren Southern refuses to foot hefty bill from Australian police
Controversial commentator Lauren Southern’s team say Victoria Police are ‘victim blaming’ by sending her a bill for protection from violent left-wing protestors.
Axiomatic Events was issued with the hefty AU$68,000 (US$49,857) bill for police services after left-wing protesters targeted the Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux Live event in Melbourne on July 20.
Police were forced to close roads due to protests. Protesters threw rocks and charged at a bus as it arrived. Police were assaulted in the clashes as the protesters began throwing punches.
Southern’s tour is not the first to be issued with large security bills from the police force – right-wing activist Milo Yiannopoulos faced a similar bill after a visit in December 2017.
Violent protests broke out as the show descended into chaos. It is understood that Yiannopoulos is yet to pay his bill, charged to him under Victoria Police’s 2014 Fees and Charges Regulations act which states that police have the right to charge any event organiser for the use of police resources.
