Casino political debate disrupted by violence

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Left: Protesters used the Casino flagpoles to send a message to those arriving at the debate.

Right: Environmental protester Gaby is removed from the Launceston Casino auditorium during the Premier Debate.
Photos supplied

Sharon Webb

THE APRIL debate between Labor and Liberal Party leaders at the Launceston Casino erupted in violence that ended with a 26 year-old woman physically thrown out of the casino’s front door.

At one stage three men piled on top of a young woman on the auditorium floor.

Casino manager Ross Hannah refused to comment on the appropriateness of his security staff’s response because he hadn’t attended.

Debate organiser David Peach from the Launceston Chamber of Commerce said he was not happy with the outcome of the incident.

Co-organiser and editor of The Examiner Courtney Greisbach was not contactable and The Examiner did not include the demonstration and attendant violence in its coverage.

The 26 year old, Gaby from the Bob Brown Foundation, was uninjured except for large bruises down one arm which she said was twisted behind her back by a security man.

Promoted as the ‘Premier Debate’, around 120 people attended the event held by The Examiner and the Launceston Chamber of Commerce.

Before the event, police were called as environmental demonstrators unfurled banners up the Casino’s flagpoles. Audience members were warned their free tickets were issued on condition they were not to call out questions or heckle. In fact, audience members had no opportunity to ask direct questions on the night.

Audience members could write a question on their ticket application. Based on those, a prepared list of questions was read out to the party leaders by Ms Greisbach.

A number of audience members later said that their questions on the proposed Westbury prison and the Launceston General Hospital were not put to Rebecca White and Peter Gutwein.

More like a Q&A session, the event proceeded quietly on the usual political themes until about two-thirds through three young women jumped on stage from the audience.

Yelling environmental and anti-logging slogans, they did not approach Ms Greisbach, Ms White or Mr Gutwein, or swear.

The audience watched, stunned, as security people descended in an uncoordinated way, shunting one demonstrator out of a side-stage door.

One grappled with a second young woman who eventually clung onto a stage stair rail in her bid to stay onstage.

Simultaneously, Gaby on the opposite side of the stage calmly unfurled her banner and addressed the audience.

Eventually security staff realised she was there and bundled her offstage. At one point three men were on top of her and an Examiner photographer abandoned his camera in an attempt to assist.

As Gaby shouted from the bottom of the heap of people, ‘Let me go, I’ll walk out’, several audience members unfroze enough to call out, ‘Let her go!’

Gaby later said one man had hold of her neck, while another twisted her arm behind her back saying, ‘This will hurt’.

Mr Peach implied that in exercising their right to free speech demonstrators were interrupting the democratic process.

He said, ‘I was disappointed they chose that method to air their opinions.

‘Their opinions like everybody else’s are valid and welcome, but as we were live streaming the event we especially asked attendees to be respectful of the democratic process as we couldn’t control who was watching at home.’

Gaby said her treatment had been ‘pretty full-on, rough, and incredibly forceful even when we got off stage. One guy pushed another one into a member of the audience’.

In contrast to Gaby’s forceful ejection from the Casino building, a security man held another demonstrator captive in the foyer, saying police had told him to detain her, even though she had not been arrested. She was assisted by a passing lawyer.

Examiner staff reporting on the debate were warned there may be demonstrators but were told to ignore it if it happened.