Supplied One of the protesters atop the crane above Flemington on Melbourne Cup day

sRefugee advocates have hijacked Melbourne Cup day, scaling a crane at Flemington and driving a car onto train tracks leading to the race course in high-profile protests over the treatment of asylum seekers on Manus Island. Two women, said to be "a qualified rope access technician and a qualified arborist", climbed a large crane at the race course and unfurled large banners reading 'EVACUATE MANUS NOW'. In pictures shared with HuffPost Australia by the Whistleblowers, Activists and Citizens Alliance, the protesters are shown on the crane over the main concourse at Flemington.

JUST IN: 'SOS: Evacuate Manus Now!' – Protesters scale a crane and unfurl a banner at Flemington #7Newspic.twitter.com/23gmY3rJHM — 7News Yahoo7 (@Y7News) November 7, 2017

"We are joining with others across Australia to demand that the government evacuate the men on Manus immediately and bring them to safety for processing," WACA spokesperson Charlotte Lynch said in a statement. "This is an emergency. This is an humanitarian crisis. We refuse to sit by whilst the Government, with the complicity of the Labor Party, puts over 600 men's lives at risk." Elsewhere, a car spraypainted with pro-refugee slogans was driven onto train tracks at Ascot Vale, blocking services headed toward Flemington. A 7 News reporter tweeted that police had arrested one man at the scene.

Manus Island protesters use a car to block rail lines heading to Flemington @7NewsMelbournepic.twitter.com/xMbhfSHCje — Lynne Scrivens (@lynnescrivens) November 7, 2017

Car on the tracks as part of Manus protest - there's also a banner on a crane at Flemington @7NewsMelbournepic.twitter.com/oBdz4N5KXs — Estelle Griepink (@EstelleGriepink) November 7, 2017

The car has been sprayed with slogans including 'EVACUATE MANUS'. Melbourne Trains has advised customers of "Delays over 60 minutes due to a motor vehicle stopped across rail lines at the Ascot Vale level crossing". In other parts of Melbourne, numerous banners have been erected reading 'Sanction Australia'.