When a tobacco shop opened next door, a Melbourne couple’s dream cafe went up in smoke: ‘It felt like a warzone’

Comments

• givesomefucks@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  So to address people firebombing legal tobacco shops…

  The government is cracking down on illegal shops?

  I don’t understand how that’s gonna do anything, if anything it’s going to make the people bombing legal shops in residential neighborhoods think they’re in the right.

  Like tobacco is unhealthy, but so blowing up shit where people sleep

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  • MisterFrog@aussie.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    The firebombing is not about government crackdown, it’s probably a protection racket, or extortion.

    A lot of “legal” tobacco shops also sell illegal tobacco.

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• DarkCloud@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  This is the choice of the state government, and it’s helping them to lose the election unfortunately.

  You make vapes illegal you create a black market. You have a black market for one thing, why not throw tax free tabacco in there too.

  Oh you need to be criminal to get some of this stuff… Well the other shops are doing it and booming!

  Oh great, now you have thousands of low level crime networks with contact with kids… They can do some of the firebombing.

  All because the fucking state government wants to lose the election.

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  • pupbiru@aussie.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    the vape ban is federal; nothing the state can really do about it

    www.health.gov.au/vaping/new-laws

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• ryannathans@aussie.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  The couple have set up a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for repairing and replacing equipment, paying outstanding staff and supplier costs and planning a new home for And Bodega

  No insurance?

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• sem@piefed.blahaj.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Within three months of beginning to serve customers, early on Monday morning 12 October, the cafe was severely damaged in a suspected arson attack that gutted the tobacco shop next door that had opened in recent weeks.

  And context

  In a bid to crack down on the illicit trade and stem a turf war that has seen more than 100 businesses firebombed, the government will introduce legislation to establish the licensing scheme in parliament on Tuesday.

  From https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/nov/12/victoria-tobacconist-firebombings-fit-and-proper-test

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