Bar Wars: Inside the attacks on Melbourne's nightlife
5/15/202628 min
Victoria's capital has been rocked by a series of attacks on nightlife venues, that has Olivia Jenkins and her colleagues on the Herald Sun crime desk searching for answers.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsOlivia Jenkins· Guest0:00
[pensive music] Why else would you set a venue on fire or fire bullets into it if someone hasn't done what you want, but you haven't told them what you want?
Andrew Rule· Host0:08
It is one of the most serious affronts to law and order that I can remember happening in Australia, because it verges on anarchy.
Olivia Jenkins· Guest0:19
The cartel sent this message, and it says, "Hello. If you got this message, we're after you, your family, your businesses, homes, and souls."
Andrew Rule· Host0:29
I'm Andrew Rule. This is Life and Crimes. Melbourne has been gripped by a siege, a series of attacks on our bars and pubs and clubs and restaurants and various other venues, which is interesting in itself, and we're wondering what, what it should be called. And my guest, or our guest here today, is our in-house crime reporter, Olivia Jenkins. Do you call it Pub Wars or Bar Wars, or what do you call it, Olivia?
Olivia Jenkins· Guest0:57
Well, as we were just saying, Bar Wars is probably a little bit catchier and probably more broadly encompasses the types of venues, which as you mentioned, do include bars and restaurants, but they also include strip clubs, and people have gone to other people's houses who are connected to that scene as well, so.
Andrew Rule· Host1:17
Bar picks up most of it, one way or another.
Olivia Jenkins· Guest1:19
Yeah.
Andrew Rule· Host1:20
[laughs] Yeah, all sorts. And look, let's not milk it for laughs, but there's been some fairly broad application of arson in Melbourne in the last two or three weeks, and