A photographer who provides images for pro-Palestinian groups has lost part of his ear and perforated an eardrum after being shot by police with a rubber bullet during a violent protest against a Melbourne military expo.
The 33-year-old photographer, who provides images for Free Palestine Melbourne and Free Palestine Coalition Naarm, was wounded at about 10am on Wednesday and says he is waiting to find out whether he will suffer permanent hearing loss.
I agree, rubber bullets seem unnecessary even for a protest as violent as this one. But to say we shouldn’t place any blame on individuals over-simplifies the problem. There are multiple issues at play here, I don’t think you can just wave away the personal responsibility of the individuals involved.
You’re right, I didn’t mean to say they’re not at fault for shooting people. What I meant to say was that we shouldn’t get tunnel-vision either and assume that officers just need better training or vetting to make sure they don’t miss or don’t shoot as early.