About 8.30am, protesters attacked two men wearing suits who were attempting to enter the convention centre before police intervened.
Some demonstrators hurled rocks at police, while others screamed and sounded horns.
One mounted officer was seen whipping a protester to get them away from a police horse, while other officers deployed capsicum spray on demonstrators.
As doors to the expo opened to the public at 9am, The Age saw police officers forcing a woman to the ground and yelling at her to put her hands behind her back as they attempted to arrest her.
Protesters were heard yelling at officers in the background.
Officers are still trying to move people on from behind the convention centre, forcing protesters back and holding the line against them.
Protesters were up before dawn on Wednesday morning.Credit: Christopher Hopkins
Hundreds more police officers are stationed at all exit and entrance points.
A police spokesperson said police had been granted special powers under the Terrorism Act ahead of the event, allowing officers to request identification and search vehicles in designated areas.
“To be clear, there is no intelligence to suggest the event is the target of any specific threat. However, the National Terrorism Threat Level is ‘probable’,” the spokesperson said.
Protesters from different activist groups, including Extinction Rebellion and Students for Palestine, have banded together to form a larger group, Disrupt Land Forces.
A pro-Palestine demonstration outside MCEC on the weekend.Credit: Wayne Taylor
They plan to block the opening of the convention on Wednesday, and say they have already stopped deliveries of weapons during a “peaceful blockade” on Saturday.
Blockade co-chair Bella Beiraghi said anti-war activists would flood Melbourne ahead of the expo.
“Young people from across the country are flooding into Melbourne to blockade the Land Forces convention’s opening ceremony on Wednesday, because we stand against the death and destruction brought by weapons of war,” she said.
Police Minister Anthony Carbines said on Wednesday morning that Victoria Police, along with support from interstate officers from around the country, were well-equipped to deal with unruly protestors.
He also said some professional protestors from other states had travelled down to join in.
“It’s typical that there’s always a few people who want to show disrespect and break the law, and police will deal with it,” said Carbines.
“Here in Victoria, there are some who are absolutely professional protesters who seek to disrupt and cause havoc here in Melbourne, but police are well aware of who they are.“
Carbines also hit out at Greens MP Gabrielle de Vietri for attending the protest.
“Many Greens are part-time MPs. They’re not here representing their community, they’re off [taking] part in stunts, rather than showing respect to a community, rather than representing their communities in the parliament.”
Police Minister Anthony Carbines.Credit: Eddie Jim
Shadow Police Minister Brad Battin said he feared for the safety of Victorian police and said bringing in officers from regional and interstate showed the government had failed to adequately staff the force.
“They don’t have the numbers to deal with the protests today and at the same time keep the community safe. It’s disappointing in a state where you have to make a decision of putting extra resources into Melbourne or keeping regional communities safe.”
Protests kicked off earlier than expected on Friday night, with demonstrators vandalising Melbourne hotels with red paint.
An anti-war protester was arrested on Saturday for attaching herself to a car and blocking traffic on Melbourne’s West Gate Freeway for hours.
An anti-war demonstrator “affixed” herself to a car during a protest on the West Gate Freeway.Credit: Nine News
Police said a 27-year-old Kensington woman “affixed” herself to a car decorated to look like a reptile, and was blocking traffic at the Montague Street off-ramp in South Melbourne about 1.50pm Saturday. She was separated from the car about two hours later.
On Sunday morning, Montague Street was again blocked by a small group of protesters from Extinction Rebellion.
The biennial Land Forces International Land Defence Expo, previously held in Brisbane, attracts hundreds of defence personnel from around the world to the showcase of weapons and technology.
More than 800 domestic and international companies and leading organisations will take part.
Military equipment, heavy-duty trucks and semiautomatic guns will be on display during the three-day event, with at least one military tank discreetly delivered under a cloak of darkness at 3am on Saturday.
with AAP
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