Violent scenes have erupted during Melbourne’s shameful anti-lockdown rally as hundreds of protesters clash with police who were forced to use pepper spray on the growing crowd, as smaller protests in Sydney and Brisbane threaten to wreak havoc on the eastern states.
The largest of the three ‘freedom’ rallies in Melbourne congregated on the corner of Elizabeth and Bourke street in the CBD on Saturday morning despite Premier Dan Andrews saying the state is on the verge of a Covid catastrophe.
Demonstrators reportedly combined to form the protest within ’10 seconds of meeting’, with a heavy police presence on the scene.
Residents in attendance were heard chanting ‘sack Dan Andrews’ while holding signs reading ‘vaccines kill’ and ‘open schools and parks now’.
Men and women marched through the usually quiet locked down streets screaming and waving Eureka flags, a symbol commonly used by white supremacists.
Officers were forced to use pepper spray on protesters as scenes turned ugly, with multiple arrests being carried out.
The disgraceful scenes come after Victoria recorded 61 new Covid cases on Saturday – the highest daily figure since the mammoth 112-day lockdown last year.
In Sydney 1,500 officers were deployed on Saturday to stop a growing threat posed by protesters who wanted to march on the city’s worst day of the Covid pandemic – with 825 cases recorded.
Violent scenes have erupted during Melbourne’s shameful anti-lockdown rallies as hundreds of protesters clash with police who were forced to use pepper spray
Hundreds of anti-lockdown protesters flocked to Melbourne ‘s CBD on Saturday despite Premier Dan Andrews saying the state is on the verge of a Covid catastrophe
Hundreds of Covidiots attended the rally in Melbourne’s CBD on Saturday morning waving Eureka flags
Police hit protesters with pepper spray during the violent rally in Melbourne’s CBD
Hundreds of Covidiots march through Melbourne to protest lockdowns despite 61 new cases being recorded on Saturday – the highest for the state since last year
Protesters hold signs and climb tram stops in Melbourne’s CBD on Saturday
In Sydney taxi and rideshare services were shut out of the city between 9am and 3pm, with companies facing fines of up to half a million dollars if they take passengers to the CBD and surrounds.
Police also encircled the city with a giant exclusion zone featuring checkpoints and road blocks and also prevented trains from stopping in the CBD.
A NSW Police spokeswoman said just before 1pm ‘there have been arrests in and around the city’.
In Sydney police began making arrests around midday as they stopped protest groups building any momentum
NSW Police questioned and detained people on foot and in their cars at major entry points to the city on Saturday
NSW Police issued warnings for several days on social media and backed up their promises with arrests in the CBD on Saturday
In Sydney, NSW Police sought to cut off protesters’ access to the city with a giant exclusion zone encircling the city and stopping taxis and public transport services from delivering anyone to the CBD
A heavy police presence in Sydney (pictured) appeared to stop protesters from gathering together although the numbers who arrived where smaller than in Melbourne
About 1500 protesters gathered in Brisbane’s Botanical Gardens for a ‘Freedom Rally’ carrying placards with anti-vax messages with many stating that they believed Covid is a hoax.
The crowd chanted ‘They say wear a mask, we say no’ and ‘wake up Australia’.
Several protesters acted aggressively towards local media shouting slogans about virus and vaccine ‘propaganda’.
One man carried a placard comparing Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk with Adolf Hitler.
Others repeated baseless claims that vaccines were not safe for their children.
Queensland Police patrolled the protest but did not arrest any of the demonstrators.
Brisbane is not under stay-at home orders and the state currently has much lighter restrictions than people in Melbourne and Sydney are ordered to observe.
Brisbane’s rally included plenty of extremist conspiracy theory messages
In Brisbane around 1500 people gathered for an anti-vax rally although the city is not under lockdown
Conspiracy theories including the groundless claim that Covid is a hoax were on show in Brisbane’s protest on Saturday
In Melbourne The crowd of mostly unmasked protesters moved through Melbourne’s CBD on Saturday morning and continued well into the afternoon.
Footage posted on social media showed dissenters cheering and letting off flares..
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said on Saturday morning police were fining people for being more than 5km from home even before the protest began.
He said 700 officers were policing the protest.
‘Please do not attend this demonstration, the risk of spread of the virus is significant,’ he said.
‘Every protester who we can identify and who we can apprehend will receive a $5,500 fine. It’s just ridiculous to think that people would be so selfish and come and do this.’
Ugly scenes erupted as people clash with police in the heart of Melbourne on Saturday
Footage posted on social media showed people cheering and letting off flares as well as police pepper-spraying protesters
Violent scenes erupted as protesters clashed with police in Melbourne’s CBD on Saturday
Protesters flee after being covered in pepper spray during violent anti-lockdown rallies
Covidiots flee as police pepper spray them in Melbourne’s CBD on Saturday morning
People block public transport in the city during violent protests
The shameful freedom rallies on July 24 saw thousands of people across Sydney and Melbourne in anti-lockdown, anti-mask demonstrations that quickly turned violent.
More than 1,000 people marched through Melbourne’s CBD, lighting flares outside Victoria’s Parliament House.
Police formed a barrier on the corner of Flinders and Swanston streets where they held back the crowd chanting ‘you work for us’.
Mounted officers told the group to disperse with a number of protesters being detained.
‘Protest against this virus by staying at home, following the rules and getting out of lockdown,’ Dan Andrews said of the July protest.
Authorities were expecting similar numbers on Saturday, with a lack of organisation in the group making it nearly impossible to predict how many.
‘Most of them are cleanskins, mum and dad types, hardworkers who are paying tax,’ police said.
‘The bulk of the group are really people trying to find a platform for their issues.’
Demonstrators reportedly combined to form the protest within 10 seconds of meeting, with a heavy police presence on the scene
People in attendance have been chanting ‘sack Dan Andrews’ while holding signs reading ‘vaccines kill’ and ‘open schools and parks now’
Man wearing a New Zealand shirt screams in protest over Australian lockdowns
The crowd of mostly unmasked protesters moved through Melbourne’s CBD on Saturday afternoon
Protester wipes her eyes after being pepper sprayed on Saturday in Melbourne
‘There will be a highly visible police presence in the Melbourne CBD, on the roads and across the public transport network on Saturday to ensure the community in complying with the chief health officer directions,’ Sergeant Megan Stefanec said in a statement.
‘Those who choose to blatantly disregard the CHOs directions and put the health and safety of all Victorians in jeopardy can expect to be held accountable.
‘It is very clear under the current CHO restrictions in Melbourne there are only five reasons to leave home, with a strong need to avoid public gatherings.
‘This includes activities such as public protests which are again not currently permitted.
‘The CHO restrictions also do not permit travel more than 5km from home, unless the travel is for a permitted reason.
‘Gathering in public with other people to stage a protest is not a permitted reason for leaving home.’
On Friday, Premier Andrews warned Victoria could ‘look like Sydney next weekend’ after the state recorded 55 new Covid-19 cases despite his hardline lockdown restrictions.
On Saturday the state recorded 61 new cases.
The thousand strong crowd of protesters outside Melbourne’s iconic Flinder Streets station during last month’s rallies (pictured)
Flares were let off in the streets of Melbourne as the frenzied crowd marched through the city’s CBD during July 24’s freedom rally
‘Protest against this virus by staying at home, following the rules and getting out of lockdown,’ Dan Andrews said of the July protest
He hit back at people criticising the strictness of Victoria’s sixth lockdown, including the unpopular decision to close all children’s playgrounds in Melbourne despite widespread backlash and no conclusive evidence of Delta transmission.
‘The government is playing its part, we locked down early, we couldn’t have locked down any earlier,’ he said defiantly during Friday’s Covid briefing.
‘We went hard. I can’t be clearer with the people of Melbourne.
‘If we have a weekend this weekend like we did last weekend, then next week we’ll look like Sydney. It’s as simple as that.’
Regional Victoria is set to go back into lockdown and restrictions in Melbourne toughened even further to stop the spread of the city’s Delta outbreak, as former Premier Jeff Kennett claimed the state will stay shut down until 2022.
Mr Kennett said ‘well-placed’ food industry sources briefed on distribution disruptions by the state government warned him about the extended lockdown and tighter restrictions lasting into next year, The Herald Sun reported.
Restrictions in Melbourne are set to be tightened on Saturday, and regional Victoria put back in lockdown
A new exposure site emerged at a machinery hire company in Bendigo (stock image), causing grave concerns the virus has leaked further into regional Victoria
Premier Andrews held an urgent Cabinet meeting on Friday afternoon to discuss new rules which could include changes for childcare centres, tighter travel limits, shorter exercise times, a construction halt, and a ban on takeaway food and coffee.
An outbreak in Shepparton grew to 17 cases late on Friday and a new exposure site emerged at a machinery hire company in Bendigo, causing grave concerns the virus has leaked further into regional Victoria – just 11 days after lockdown was lifted for its residents.
Mr Andrews was reportedly poised to announce the regional lockdown and new restrictions immediately, until deciding to wait for overnight case numbers on Saturday morning instead.
But late on Friday evening the state government said it had told community sporting leagues in regional Victoria to ‘immediately cancel their activities for this weekend’.
‘The situation in Melbourne and across regional Victoria is extremely concerning,’ a spokesperson said.
‘Advice will be provided to government tomorrow morning and all options are on the table.’