'Man-baby Nazis': Powerful union boss John Setka blasts 'fake tradies' behind violent, anti-vax protest that forced shut down of Victoria's construction industry and left 300,000 unable to work By Kylie Stevens For Daily Mail Australia and Australian Associated Press Published: 22:40 BST, 20 September 2021 | Updated: 22:48 BST, 20 September 2021 Viewcomments A powerful construction union boss has slammed 'fake tradies' who sparked violent and ugly scenes outside union headquarters which has shut down the entire industry. Hundreds of workers in hi-vis vests walked off the job on Monday and gathered outside the CFMEU head office in Melbourne to protest against mandatory Covid-19 vaccine requirements which come into effect later this week. The gathering turned violent as demonstrators clashed with high-profile CFMEU boss John Setka and other union officials, hurling abuse and projectiles and smashing glass windows. The ugly scenes prompted Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to shut down the state's $22billion industry for 14 days. Mr Sekta is furious 300,000 construction workers have lost work because of the actions of 'fake tradies'. 'Then they were consuming a whole heap of alcohol. Thanks to these morons, 300,000 Victorians are sitting at home for at least the next couple of weeks, could drag out even longer. Ex-unionist and federal MP Bill Shorten blamed 'fake tradies' and 'man-baby Nazis' Monday's ugly scenes. 'Some of those people in the crowd were construction workers, but others, I'm reliably informed, were fake tradies,' he said. 'They'd been down to the Reject Shop and got themselves a $2 hi-viz hoodie so they could pretend they were construction.' On Monday night, the state government shut down the industry for two weeks in metropolitan Melbourne, City of Ballarat, City of Greater Geelong, Surf Coast Shire and Mitchell Shire. All worksites will need to demonstrate compliance with health directions prior to reopening. This includes a requirement for workers to show evidence of having had at least one dose of a vaccine before they return to work on October 5. Mr Shorten defended the CFMEU saying the construction union was being responsible and encouraging people to get vaccinated. 'There is a network of hard-right man-baby Nazis, just people who just want to cause trouble - these man-babies, they want to complain about vaccinations,' he said. 'They deserve to get the full force of everything that's coming their way.' It's believed the protesters plan to gather again outside the CFMEU from 10am on Tuesday. The Victorian branch of CFMEU said it had always supported freedom of choice regarding vaccination. 'We are not going to be intimidated by outside extremists attempting to intimidate the union, by spreading misinformation and lies about the union's position,' it said in a statement on Monday. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility