Australia’s Old Parliament House is set on fire during protest

MELBOURNE, Australia — Protesters acceptable occurrence to Australia’s Old Parliament House connected Thursday, officials said, damaging the entranceway to the historical building, arsenic a radical of demonstrators clashed with constabulary and journalists successful the capital, Canberra.

The circumstances surrounding the blaze were not afloat clear, but protesters calling for improved attraction of Indigenous radical had assembled extracurricular the building. At the aforesaid time, a radical named MMAMV Australia — for Millions March Against Mandatory Vaccinations — live-streamed the occurrence on Facebook, after posting from the gathering the erstwhile day, vowing to instrumentality “until the occupation is done" and utilizing the hashtag #takeoldparliament.

Other posts utilizing the hashtag focused connected Indigenous lore and assemblage invasion, and warring a tyrannical empire.

The building, which was the spot of Australia’s national Parliament betwixt 1927 and 1988, is present a fashionable tourer attraction and houses the Museum of Australian Democracy.

Police successful Canberra said protesters had started a occurrence astatine the main entrance, pursuing “ongoing protestation enactment astatine the beforehand of Old Parliament House" implicit the past 2 weeks.

“A constabulary probe into the origin of the occurrence has commenced,” a spokesperson said. “Old Parliament House volition stay closed until further notice.”

The gathering was evacuated and the blaze rapidly extinguished by firefighters, constabulary added.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said authorities should enactment swiftly to guarantee those liable faced consequences.

“I americium disgusted and appalled by behaviour that would spot Australians travel and acceptable occurrence to specified a awesome of ideology successful this country,” helium said successful a quality conference.

Earlier, Michael McCormack, a blimpish lawmaker, said protesters were heard chanting “let it burn.”

“How disgraceful,” helium wrote connected Twitter. “An outrageous onslaught connected our democracy, our history, our sovereignty.”

A spokesperson for the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, a protestation campy that has occupied a tract extracurricular Old Parliament House for decades, did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

MMAMV has organized protests implicit the past six months successful Sydney, Melbourne and different cities astir the country, with speakers including far-right person Pauline Hanson. Its Facebook leafage shares posts and images captious of vaccination and medications. It besides posts astir kid trafficking concerns and freedom.

The gathering was besides forced to adjacent past week due to the fact that of a occurrence during a protest, which was reported arsenic an accident.