A News24 reporter was forced to chase a protester through a crowded Melbourne rally against Pauline Hanson’s One Nation after they grabbed her microphone mid-broadcast, in one of several nationwide student demonstrations that drew crowds across Australia on Thursday.
A protester stole a microphone from News24 reporter Georgie Dickerson while she was broadcasting live from a Melbourne rally against Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party. Dickerson said she was forced to give chase through the packed crowd after the protester ran over and grabbed the microphone from her hands during her live cross. She was ultimately able to catch up with the protester and retrieve the equipment. Despite the incident, Dickerson said the demonstration had otherwise remained largely peaceful.
What happened during the broadcast
During her live report, Dickerson could be heard describing the chaotic scene as she pursued the protester through the crowd. “We had to chase that protester through the packed crowd,” she said, before successfully stopping them and taking back the microphone.
The incident came amid a broader atmosphere of vocal opposition at the rally. While Dickerson was reporting live, protesters could reportedly be heard swearing and shouting “f*** Pauline” in the background, prompting the News24 anchor in the studio to apologise to viewers live on air.
Nationwide ‘Say No to Pauline Hanson’ rallies
The Melbourne demonstration formed part of a series of coordinated “Say No to Pauline Hanson” rallies held across Australia on Thursday, 13 August, with protests also taking place in Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, Wollongong and Newcastle. The events drew crowds made up largely of high school and university students.
In Sydney, around 300 protesters were seen carrying anti-Hanson signs and chanting slogans against her and One Nation more broadly. The rallies were organised by the National Union of Students, along with the Socialist Alternative-linked “High School Anti Capitalists” group.
Greens senator backs student walkouts
Ahead of the rallies, Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi shared a video on social media in which she signed a mock “permission slip” for students wishing to leave school to attend the protests. In the video, she said: “You’re telling me that the far right is on the rise, that parties like Pauline Hanson’s One Nation want to roll back women’s rights, workers’ rights and environmental protections, that you’re sick of One Nation’s racist, sexist, anti-worker and divisive politics, and want to join thousands of students on Thursday, 13 August, in a protest around the country, and you want my permission?”
She concluded her message with an endorsement of the walkouts: “Of course. I hope you’ve made a big sign. Have fun.”
