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Protests against an international military conference continued in Melbourne for the third day Friday, following previous clashes between thousands of protesters and police during anti-war demonstrations in Australia’s second-largest city, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

On Wednesday, thousands of demonstrators marched in Melbourne in opposition to the biennial Land Forces International Land Defence Exposition.

The three-day event attracts hundreds of weapons companies from around the globe and serves as a trade expo for defense companies.

The anti-war marches sparked over the government’s stance in the months-long conflict in the Gaza Strip and the use of weapons on display at the expo – including in Gaza, the Guardian noted.

Anti-war groups and pro-Palestinian demonstrators participated in the demonstrators, carrying signs calling for an end to the Gaza war. Violence also broke out between protesters and police, injuring more than 50 demonstrators and around 27 officers.

Dozens were arrested, with authorities and expo attendees criticizing protesters for behaving

“in a disgraceful way.” State officials accused some protesters of carrying rocks, bottles and “balloons filled with urine.”

Even so, some demonstrators and “legal observers” monitoring the protests accused authorities of using excessive force during the melee. Police officials said officers showed “restraint” in the face of violent protestors and that non-lethal weapons used were “appropriately deployed.”

Despite the clashes and heavier police presence on Thursday, protesters continued their marches in other parts of the city.

Meanwhile, the anti-war marches and the defense expo come as Australia announced plans to strip the military awards from a group of war veterans accused of war crimes in Afghanistan, Reuters wrote.

The decision followed the findings of the Brereton Report, a four-year inquiry led by Maj. Gen. Paul Brereton, which found evidence suggesting the unlawful killing of 39 people involving 25 Australian Defence Force members during the war in Afghanistan. The inquiry uncovered a culture where junior recruits were allegedly forced to kill defenseless captives to “blood” them for combat.

Defense Minister Richard Marles called the allegations the most serious war crimes in Australia’s history, adding that the findings would remain “a matter of national shame.”