Shocking moment protester kicks a dog as tensions boil over
WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT: Disturbing footage has emerged of a dog being violently kicked as a rally to protest mandatory vaccinations in the construction industry descended into chaos.
Tensions have boiled over outside the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) head office in Melbourne, where hundreds of workers wearing high-vis have stormed the building yelling and chanting.
Amid the turmoil, violence erupted between protesters, with bottles being thrown and loudspeakers smashed.
Shocking video captured by 7News shows one man walking up to another with a dog on a lead.
He is seen kicking the animal, launching it backwards onto the footpath.
The dog appears to be uninjured.
Disturbing video: A dog is kicked during a brief fight between several men outside the CFMEU. It broke up quickly as police stepped in. pic.twitter.com/QVXbJ43Glv
— Paul Dowsley (@paul_dowsley) September 20, 2021
Tradies protest against mandatory vaccines
Monday's rally escalated when two union officials, including Victorian construction branch secretary John Sekta, came outside to speak to protesters just before midday.
Videos online show Mr Setka, who was wearing a mask, trying to push back angry workers encroaching on the office entrance.
Footage posted online also shows workers chanting “f*** the jab” and “freedom” while fist pumping the air.
A sign with "my body my choice" can be seen among the protesters.
Those rallying are against having to show proof of their vaccination to be allowed back onto building sites, with some saying they would rather the entire construction industry be shut down.
The tough new restrictions come after 13 per cent of the state’s active COVID-19 cases were linked to construction sites.
Tradies are required to have had their first dose of a vaccine by this Thursday to be allowed back to work.
With AAP
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