WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Video shows a police officer with an energy weapon at the March for Australia protests.
OUR VERDICT
False. The policeman is holding a loudspeaker.
AAP FACTCHECK - A video does not depict police with "energy weapons" at an anti-immigration protest in Melbourne, despite claims made in a video shared on social media.
A police officer was filmed holding a loudhailer device at the "March for Australia" protest on August 31, 2025, at which some police were injured and multiple people were arrested, Sky News reported.
The Facebook video, shared from a user on Telegram, shows a police officer in Melbourne picking up a black device.
The man filming asks: "What is he holding here? Looks like an energy weapon, yeah? What the hell is this?"
The police officer can be heard responding that it's a speaker.
"I hope it's a speaker - don't use it on me," the man behind the camera says.
The post's caption claims the officer was holding an "energy weapon" and says suggestions the device is a speaker are "b******t".
The police officer is correct, however - the visible logo shows he's holding a HyperSpike brand HS-10 acoustic hailing device (AHD), designed for crowd control.
A Google reverse image search shows it matches pictures of the HyperSpike HS-10.
The company describes the HS-10 as "a self-contained portable acoustic hailing device" that "easily penetrates high background noise environments to ensure that unmistakable commands and alert tones are heard".
There have been claims of Australian police using "sonic weapons" and "energy weapons" at protests in the past, such as those in Canberra in 2022.
Some people claimed police use of long-range acoustic devices (LRAD) left them feeling nauseous, drowsy and disoriented.
The ABC debunked the claims at the time, noting the devices can cause hearing damage if the loud alert tone function is used rather than broadcasting voice commands, but a police spokesperson said the alert function wasn't used in the Canberra protests.
Writing for The Conversation in 2022, Griffith University research fellow Lawrence English explained: "There is no question that if used to its full potential, the LRAD can cause significant damage to auditory nerves.
"However, unlike what the protesters reported, beyond the auditory system, the device does not harm the body."
HyperSpike describes the HS-10 as an AHD rather than an LRAD.
While the device does feature a high-frequency alert tone, the user guide (page 10) states it is "designed to be used for short periods to gain attention prior to communication".
Directed-energy weapons do exist and are used by some police forces and militaries.
Unlike a traditional weapon, which fires a solid projectile, they direct energy at a target.
For example, a US government website describes an energy weapon which uses high-frequency millimetre waves that interact with the water and fat molecules in a person's skin to create a heating sensation.
It's alleged that an LRAD sonic weapon, a type of energy weapon, was used at an anti-government protest in Serbia earlier this year, the Associated Press reported.
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