A busker in Melbourne called Cam Nicholson describes in his GoFundMe how he was attacked by anti-Israel protesters in Melbourne yesterday:
Today, while performing music on the streets, my band partner Konstantin and I were violently attacked while simply trying to do our job. After completing three shows, we began our fourth performance when we were unexpectedly surrounded by a group of protesters with large speakers, microphones, and a loud atmosphere. At the time of being surrounded by the group of protesters, we were performing a show to an audience and we were playing Canon in D.
This protest, which has been occurring every Sunday for the past few months in Melbourne, has become a familiar sight to us. We have always ensured to keep ourselves and equipment out of the way as these protests often have a large police presence and this is something we do not want to be involved or in the middle of. However, we did not anticipate the violence that followed our decision to pause our show and wait for the protest to pass.
We made sure to check the instagram page for the protestors, which usually shows the path the protests would take. They had stated they would start at the state library and go to Flinders station and the post showed a map of the path they would take. We booked a spot on Bourke street with the council thinking we would not be in the path the protesters would take, that way we could work and not be caught in the middle of the protest.
When we stopped our performance and started packing up, a protester began chanting into a microphone. We tried to communicate with him, saying, “We don’t have a problem with your cause; just let us move our equipment.” In response, another protester (pictured in the video circulating online) mocked us, gestured rudely, and swore at us. As this individual attempted to step on Cam’s pedal board, Cam, in self-defence of his expensive equipment—which he relies on for his livelihood—moved the protester away. This action triggered an aggressive reaction from the protest group.
A mob of protesters then violently attacked Konstantin and me, an incident captured on camera by Konstantin. Cam was struck in the face with a steel flagpole, shattering his glasses and narrowly missing his eye. During the chaos, the police intervened, but our equipment was severely damaged—crushed and kicked around, as shown in the video footage.
As street performers, we are accustomed to accommodating protests and do so by moving our equipment and ensuring our safety. We support the right to free speech and always do our best to move or wait until the protests pass. We purposely chose a location where we thought we would not be in the path of the protestors. Despite our efforts today, we were attacked, and a significant amount of our equipment was damaged. We are still assessing the full extent of the damage and will need to inspect our gear to determine if it is functioning as it should.
On Instagram, Cam reveals that Hash Tayeh was part of the mob (although was not one of those who attacked him).
Today, we were playing music on Bourke Street in Melbourne, enjoying a peaceful day and playing to lovely audiences which wanted to listen. Suddenly, a group of so-called “peaceful protestors” arrived with huge speakers and a microphone. They began chanting, and one of them, who is known as Hash Tayer took to the microphone to speak loudly about his cause but also started making comments to us, that we did not want to engage with. We were there to play music and earn a living.
I raised my voice to clarify that we were not interested in commenting on their protest and were simply trying to perform. As we began to pack up due to their unexpected presence, multiple protestors, including one featured at the start of the video, started swearing at us and making threatening gestures. One individual even attempted to step on our equipment. After hearing their threatening words while they covered their face, I intervened to protect the tool that helps me support my family, which is now severely damaged.
Then, out of nowhere, I was struck in the face with a steel pole that had a flag attached to it. My sunglasses shattered, and I’m grateful I was wearing them, or I could have lost an eye.
While our equipment is damaged, we are fortunate not to have sustained serious injuries. Now, we just need to find the funds to repair our gear so we can continue to earn a living.
I went out today to play music, not to be attacked by thugs.
@victoriapolice, you need to start protecting the public. This is disgraceful. #7news#9news#victoriapolice
Here is another video from the attack:
and here are some additional posts from Cam on the incident:
According to the Herald Sun, “the scuffle broke out after the busker was knocked to the ground when he refused to stop playing his music.”
The same report mentions how the protesters also chanted “all Zionists are terrorists”.
I am not surprised this happened because let’s be honest: those who, at worst, support Hamas and, at best, excuse what they did, are also the type of people who would engage in violence. Shitty people do shitty things.
I hope Melbourne police finally do something about these violent mobs, because they sure as hell have not done much until now.
Meanwhile, I am not sure where Cam stood regarding the conflict until now, but hope he does now understand which side is on the wrong side of morality and history – like UCLA student Milagro Jones did a number of months ago after also being assaulted.
Updates
9/9/24 10:28: Speaking about shitty people doing shitty things, the detestable Clementine Ford, folks:
10/9/24 17:10: Hash Tayeh may need to answer for this:
