Melbourne police negotiate with graffiti artist perched on Bolte Bridge tower after Pam the Bird tag
Melbourne police are in a standoff with a man who climbed a 120-metre pillar of the Bolte Bridge and painted a giant Pam the Bird graffiti, refusing to come down until taxes are lowered.
Police in Melbourne are locked in a standoff with a man who climbed one of the Bolte Bridge's 120-metre high pillars and painted a giant Pam the Bird tag. Emergency services were called to the scene at 3am on Tuesday after reports that a graffiti artist had scaled the pillar and abseiled down to paint the iconic tag, which has been illegally sprayed on Melbourne landmarks for years, often in hard-to-reach places and on heritage-listed buildings.
A police spokesperson said they are negotiating with the man to get him down safely. "He is refusing to follow police direction and come down," the spokesperson said. "There are a significant number of police resources in the area including uniform members and water police units." The spokesperson added there is no threat to the public or road users and one lane of the bridge is closed.
An Instagram page, @pambirdofficial, has shared videos appearing to be from the top of the pillar on Tuesday. One video shows feet dangling off the tower and zooms in on a large police presence below before the man "flips the bird" to officers. Another video includes a caption: "Lower the taxes and drone me some fucken food! Let’s go boys and girls!" In the same video, a man’s voice says: "I’m not coming down until they lower the taxes. Fucking sick of paying that shit." Later, he added a request for a blanket.
The identity of the man on the Bolte Bridge is not yet known. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles told the ABC: "I think the system is handling the matter as it should … I think it’s appropriate that the legal process takes its course."
