Trades union boss slams violent protesters, tells them to ‘go pick fruit’ instead

Tradie protesters who want to turn violent have been told to “go and pick fruit” instead.

The trades union boss John Setka made the remark while condemning Tuesday’s violence and urging protesters not to take the streets again on Wednesday.

Protesters vandalised the CFMEU headquarters in Melbourne on Monday, while some people hurled bottles, flares and rocks through the CBD streets on Tuesday before hijacking the West Gate Bridge.

When asked how many trade union members had been booted since the protests started, CFMEU boss John Setka said he was still tracking down the people involved.

He also had another message for those responsible for the violence.

“Let me tell you people who were involved in the violent protest, they may as well go pick fruit in Mildura,” he told the ABC on Wednesday morning.

“We don’t need that. We don’t need drunken morons who think by throwing bottles at people is a good way to protest. They can go pick fruit.”

Three police officers were injured on Tuesday and 62 people arrested in the city’s third violent protest in four days.

Organisers vowed to stage marches daily until construction workers were allowed back on the job following Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews ordering the entire industry to shut down for at least two weeks.

The decision to lock up all building sites, a position strongly pushed by chief health officer Brett Sutton, was taken after it became clear the industry would not reach its government-imposed deadline of vaccinating 90 per cent of construction workers with at least one jab by Thursday.

“It’s (the protest) been hijacked by extreme groups and it’s not our values,” Mr Setka said.

“We’re shut-out now because of these morons. We have 300,000 people sitting at home that should’ve been working otherwise. It’s a bit of a sad moment.

“Some of the scenes I seen yesterday, bottles being thrown at people, drinking, is that real protesting. It’s just denigrating everything.”

Premier Daniel Andrews, who issued a statement but did not appear publicly on Tuesday, slammed the violence, saying there was “no excuse for the terrible behaviour we have seen in our city over the last two days”.

“Acts of violence and disruption won’t result in one less case of Covid – in fact it only helps the virus to spread,” he said. “Thank you to the brave men and women of Victoria Police for their work today – and every day – to keep our community safe.”

Victoria Police have warned police will be out in force as protesters threaten to take to the streets again on Wednesday.