Victoria Police have reversed an earlier decision and will now provide a dedicated presence at a women’s rights rally planned for Saturday outside the state parliament in Melbourne. The about-face comes amid concerns for safety surrounding the event, which is expected to draw a counter-protest by trans rights activists.
Initially, police had informed organisers of the Restore Women’s Rights rally that there would be no officers physically present at the demonstration. Authorities reportedly advised the women’s advocacy group to call emergency services if police intervention became necessary and did not plan to establish an exclusion zone separating the two groups.
In a Thursday email to Moira Deeming, the leader of Family First Victoria and a rally organiser, Superintendent Shane Brundell, deputy chief of staff to Chief Commissioner Mike Bush, confirmed that police would be on site and tasked with keeping demonstrators from both sides apart. Brundell wrote that additional police resources would be deployed to manage the rally and the anticipated counter-protest, ensuring the safety of participants, officers, and the wider public.
Deeming welcomed the reversal, calling the announcement “wonderful news” and earlier describing her apprehension over potential violence as “absolutely terrified.”
The initial reluctance to provide an on-site police presence contrasts with Victoria Police’s response to previous similar events. For example, on July 4 this year, riot and mounted police were deployed to separate women’s rights protesters from trans rights counter-demonstrators, some masked, at the same location.
While there have been no documented incidents of violence committed by women’s rights protestors, multiple records—including footage, police reports, and media coverage—show trans rights counter-protesters engaging in aggressive behavior in past rallies held from 2023 through to this year. These incidents reportedly included physical assaults, attempts to breach police lines, the throwing of projectiles, and clashes involving police use of capsicum spray and several arrests.
The far-left activist group Trans Queer Solidarity is organising the counter-protest and has urged supporters on social media to wear masks and maintain a confrontational stance toward police, describing their resistance as a defense against what they call a “genocidal anti-trans movement.” The group also stated it would wear long sleeves and hats to protect from the sun, alongside masks, citing health concerns over COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on transgender people. The group further emphasized a political principle of non-engagement with police, citing repression of liberation struggles.
Victoria Police have not commented further on specific security arrangements beyond the confirmation of additional resources and separation measures for Saturday’s events.