Protesters have smeared the statue of racehorse Winx with the slogan ‘deportation = death’ in an attempt to draw attention to the federal Labor Party’s ‘martyred refugees’ policy.
Masked members of the Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance stood outside Moonee Valley Racecourse on Saturday morning to berate the Labor Party.
Fewer than a dozen protesters gathered at the Victorian Labor state conference where Prime Minister Daniel Andrews and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed party worshippers.
Online vision showed them using megaphones to chant and harass attendees arriving at the meeting.
“Hello, welcome to the conference on the torture of refugees, just like the Liberal Party,” one of the demonstrators shouted.
The statue of Cox Plate legend Winx was sprayed with red paint overnight (pictured) reading ‘deportation = death’ during protests over the federal Labor Party’s refugee policy
Protesters held up signs reading ‘no more racist refugee policy’ and ‘other government same s***’ (pictured)
Online vision showed a group of people from the Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance using megaphones to chant and harass attendees arriving at the rally (pictured, in front of the defaced statue as it was being cleaned)
Activists also painted red and black graffiti on the sidewalk with the messages (pictured)
Others held up signs reading “no more racist refugee policies” and “apply to communities, not prisons or police.”
The graffiti-defaced statue of Cox Plate legend Winx was defaced with pro-refugee slogans in red paint, including messages reading “deportation = death” before being cleaned.
Activists also painted red and black graffiti on the sidewalk and walls with the messages “other government same s***” and “people don’t belong in cages.”
“What’s the point of the Labor Party, if the best they can do is keep people cooped up on islands with an uncertain future on bridging visas, then what’s the point,” cried one masked protester.
Meanwhile, Victorian Labor members heard speeches from Mr Andrews and Mr Albanese as the conference opened.
Mr Andrews addressed the Victorian Labor faithful at the first state party conference in four years amid speculation over his political future.
The Victorian Prime Minister and Mr Albanese were among hundreds who gathered on Saturday at Melbourne’s Moonee Valley Racecourse for the two-day conference.
Mr Andrews, who led Labor to another landslide election victory in November, used his speech to speak enthusiastically about the party’s gender quota and his government’s push for women’s issues.
Nearby walls were also defaced (pictured) with messages such as ‘people don’t belong in cages’
“I’m so proud that my cabinet, our cabinet, is almost two-thirds women, as is more than half of our caucus,” he told the crowd.
Mr Andrews has repeatedly reaffirmed his pledge to serve a full four-year term, despite reports from the Herald Sun that his deputy Jacinta Allan was advised to begin assembling a team as part of transition planning.
In his speech, Mr. Albanese announced a $2 billion social housing fund along with a pledge to deliver the additional money to state and territory governments within the next two weeks.
He emphasized his optimism that Australia would seize the moment to vote for The Voice and boost the Victorian government’s major infrastructure pipeline.
Meanwhile, the police are investigating overnight criminal damage to the Winx statue and surrounding area, encouraging anyone with information to come forward.
No Victorian Labor state conference has been held since 2019 following a federal takeover of the party following allegations of branch piling against former minister Adem Somyurek.
The federal takeover resulted in the expulsion of 1,700 “non-true” members and suspension of voting rights for state party members until administrative control was returned at the end of January.
State conference delegates will vote on urgent resolutions, discuss policy and discuss party rules over two days.
Victorian Prime Minister Daniel Andrews (pictured) and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese were among hundreds who gathered at Melbourne’s Moonee Valley Racecourse on Saturday for the two-day Labor Party conference
In his speech, Mr. Albanese announced a $2 billion social housing fund along with a pledge to deliver the additional money to state and territory governments within the next two weeks.
Police are investigating overnight criminal damage to the area surrounding the Winx statue (pictured) and are encouraging anyone with information to come forward