Class action trial on behalf of demonstrators pepper sprayed at 2019 Melbourne mining conference begins

When police clashed with protesters at a mining conference in Melbourne in 2019, officers faced backlash over their handling of demonstrators as they attempted to make arrests. Almost 6 years later, on the first day of a class action trial representing those who were pepper sprayed, it's alleged police used excessive force when they deployed their capsicum spray, their lawyers describing the incident as "total overreach".