WHEN I SAW A TERRORISM ATTACK LIKE SITUATION AT CBD MELBOURNE AT AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Last Updated on July 31, 2018 by

WHEN I SAW A TERRORISM ATTACK LIKE SITUATION AT CBD MELBOURNE AT AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

MY FIRST DAY AT CBD MELBOURNE STARTED ON A HORRIBLE NOTE!

The next day when I arrived at the CBD Melbourne aka Melbourne City Centre or ‘The City’, as soon as I stepped foot at the buzzing Flinders Street Metro station, I was greeted with crowds of different ethnicity. The polyglot city that it is, I was pulled into people -watching before I realized I had limited time and lots to see. I exited the station, passed few beggars who had ignored the leftover colas and burgers commuters had left for them on the public telephone stands. On the other end, some food company decided that distributing free packets of ready to eat food as their marketing strategy on a big day would do wonders to them. They offered one to me too. I didn’t take it because being a strict vegetarian, in foreign countries I am never sure about what the food contains. More so, if they are giving it for free by the roadside. Hidden Chicken stock? Fish? Worse- powdered fish? I declined it politely when a hue and cry won my attention.

AFL Australian Football League Federation Square Melbourne Australia
A sopporter on the finale of Australian Football League at Federation square. CBD Melbourne, Australia

OF DRUNK MEN AND FOOTBALL MATCH!

As I passed an ugly glass and metal building near Federation Square and St. Paul’s Cathedral, I saw a sudden commotion at one of the busiest intersections of Melbourne. The commotion had nothing to do with the big football match that was underway. Or maybe it did. I arrived on the day when a major football game kept the entire city busy and uncontrolled. I didn’t plan it but I found myself in the middle of all the chaos that The 2017 AFL Grand Final was. The Australian Football League is quite popular. The final match was between the Adelaide Crows and the Richmond Tigers. It was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on the day I visited, viz. 30 September 2017.Drunk and excited whites behaved badly on road, singing loudly and aggressively. Women and children were more sober, but gung-ho and excited nevertheless. And someone wanted to take an advantage of the suspension of order and civil behavior by masses. Perhaps.

CBD Free Tram Melbourne Australia
I shot this in CBD Melbourne, Australia.Yes that’s a tram!

WAS IT A TERRORIST ATTACK IN MELBOURNE-KNIFE IN MY CAR

The police had nabbed a criminal, armed with knives in his car. The culprit drove recklessly, speeding away in reverse, allegedly threatening random people and trying to run over them. A major security incident shook the city even though the drama was over in few minutes. I watched in silence from behind the Law Enforcement Tape or Police Tape barrier marked to keep the civilians away from the crime scene. I asked a few bystanders what exactly is going on. Someone said, knife. Someone else said, gun. No one was sure.

AFL Australia Football League Dustbin Drugs Heroin Grafitti Street Art Hosier Lane Melbourne Australia
The cafes and streets were decorated with Australian Football League theme when I visited. It was the finals. CBD Melbourne, Australia

SHOOT HIM! SHOOT HIM!

It was around 8 a.m. A Saturday! The bystanders shouted at the police and shouted, “Shoot him. Shoot him!” The area was cordoned off by bomb squad and the Victoria Police critical incident squad. No one was injured despite the culprit almost ran over pedestrians or bumped into footpaths, cyclists or trams in the Federation Square and Flinders Street station. Later, he emerged out of the car (green Toyota RAV 4) armed with a bicycle pump as pedestrians ran for their life. He challenged the police to ‘come for him’. Since it was early morning, the footfall was quite low than what I had seen in the evening while returning. Wearing a helmet and dressed in a black military dress, he appeared like a terrorist. With so many cases of Islamic terrorists driving over pedestrians in different countries of Europe, it was easy for Victorians to believe that it was their turn now. Perhaps they saw it coming!

Dustbin Drugs Heroin Grafitti Street Art Hosier Lane Melbourne Australia China Town (2)
The street art near China Town at CBD Melbourne, Australia

However, it turned out that he was a teen with mental illness. He was immediately subdued when the police tasered him and later sent for rehabilitation.

I watched the drama unfold for sometimes. It was just the second day of my first international solo trip. I had already seen too much crime by now. After a horrifying rendezvous with a wild drug addict in the public washrooms of Melbourne, this was not what I was looking for next.

I reminded myself that I am in the most liveable city of the world. I gave a grimace of wry amusement and hoped that the things will be better as the day passed.

Post this event, I enjoyed CBD area of Melbourne all day, sometimes overjoyed with new discoveries but mostly disappointed with what the famous city had to offer! While returning, I visited the crime scene again.  It was still not a normal place. There were even more drunk than they were earlier. Predictably , the unruly men behaved loudly, emboldened by the win of the team they were rooting for all day. The supporters of losing team sulked. Melbourne, I found, was one big crazy city. Or maybe I was at the wrong place at wrong time.

I was too confused to take pictures or make videos of the incident. You can read more about this incident and check out related pictures and videos here

Dustbin Drugs Heroin Grafitti Street Art Hosier Lane Melbourne Australia (5)
The street art of CBD Melbourne, Australia

ALSO READ:

Is Melbourne safe To Visit- Drug and Heroine Crisis

Top 10 reasons why you should visit Canberra

Why Harris Park in Sydney, Australia is Little India

Sex Sells in Pushkar fair, Rajasthan

Why penis art is painted on walls of Bhutanese cities and villages?

Drayang Dance Bar Trail- The open Secret of Bhutan

Homeless Beggar Dustbin Drugs Heroin Grafitti Street Art Hosier Lane Melbourne Australia (2)
Read about the drug, heroin and beggar problem of Melbourne, Australia in my other blogs. Link above.

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16 thoughts on “WHEN I SAW A TERRORISM ATTACK LIKE SITUATION AT CBD MELBOURNE AT AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE”

  1. OMG! This is quite scary especially when something like this happens on your first international solo trip. I’m glad that it wasn’t actually a terrorist attack and just a mentally ill teen. I appreciate you writing about this incident to create awareness among people planning to visit Melbourne.

  2. OMG that is a horrible experience and I would never wish to happen during my travel. Glad you are okay but this is one of your most memorable travel. I don’t understand why these people go for terrorizing a peaceful city.

  3. This is definitely scary specially when you are alone in a country. I am glad that you were OK. I hope that you had your great memorable moments there also. But good that you have shared your experience here. Australia is on my mind though 🙂

  4. Oh, it sounds terrifying, especially during your first International Solo trip. Sometimes we witness such unwanted incidents but there are many beautiful moments also, which you must have also felt during your Melbourne Trip. That mentally ill teen needs to be admitted to rehabilitation center.

  5. That sounds scary, glad you are okay! Even though it turned out to be a commotion started by a mentally ill individual, it is still an unpleasant experience. Hope that person is receiving proper treatment to prevent a similar incident from happening.

  6. That sounds like a very nerve wracking experience. Glad to hear you are okay. I can understand not having taken any photos or videos. You were probably in a bit of shock from witnessing everything. I’m sure I’d be the same way.

  7. I’m sure it was a scary experience but then there is good and bad in every major city of the world now. There is so much more to Australia I’m sure and you ha e had done good experiences as well. Thus a good post for awareness that you have shared. Hopefully there were better experiences with the match Amar. Singh.

  8. I’m sure it was a scary experience but then there is good and bad in every major city of the world now. There is so much more to Australia I’m sure and you ha e had done good experiences as well. Thus a good post for awareness that you have shared. Hopefully there were better experiences with the match.

  9. Oh no! Your trip to Melbourne really started off badly two days in a row! I can’t imagine how scary that must have been! Glad you’re ok. My parents got caught up in an international futbol crowd in Marseille and they said the crowds were drunk and disorderly and they avoided travel during big sporting events.

  10. That’s really scary, especially since it was your first international solo trip. However, I’m glad it hasn’t stopped you from traveling. You’re absolutely right that even in the safest areas of the world, these types of incidents are possible.

  11. I’m so sorry you had to experience such a terrifying experience! I am glad that you were OK. I am glad that they caught the person, and hopefully he won’t hurt anyone again.

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