Protests are billed around the country today, with rallies to be held in capital cities Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, and Darwin today, as well as a number of regional cities.
The protesters are a loose group who oppose vaccines, vaccine-mandates and passports and in Victoria, they oppose the government’s Pandemic Bill which is currently stalled in the upper house.
Many conspiracy theorists attend the protests and least one protester in Melbourne is carrying a placard featuring Qanon slogans.
In Sydney Ex-Liberal MP Craig Kelly is slated to speak to the crowd, who The Age revealed today has recruited a number of key figures in the “freedom” movement for Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party.
In Melbourne, a counter ‘anti-fascist’ rally is planned to take place at the same time, with Victorian Greens Leader Samantha Ratnam and Reason Party Leader Fiona Patten endorsing the event.
Both Ms Ratnam and Patten have been focal points this week as the government works to convince crossbenchers to support its bill that would transfer public health powers from the Chief Health Officer to the Premier and Health Minister.
Hundreds of protestors opposing the state government’s pandemic bill and vaccine mandate have already arrived outside the steps of parliament in Melbourne’s CBD.
A chant has started and demonstrators are yelling “sack Dan Andrews and free Victoria”.
Protesters gathering on Saturday morning in downtown Melbourne.Credit:Melissa Cunningham
A speaker is blaring Love isn’t always on time by Toto as the crowd spills into Bourke Street.
Demonstrators are holding Australian flags and American flags with signs calling for the government to “kill the bill” and “we are not sheep we loved freedom.”
Melbourne is not the only place in the world where there is unrest. Europe is also witnessing sometimes violent protests as government’s grapple with rising cases and resistance to vaccine policies.
Violent demonstrations broke out in Rotterdam overnight over the Netherlands’ virus restrictions, with the police firing warning shots and deploying a water canon to push back the crowd.
Demonstrators in Rotterdam protest against government restrictionsCredit:AP
The police said in a statement that two people were injured “related to the fired shots” but said details of the injuries were unclear.
Tweets showed at least one car on fire with a bicycle thrown on top, amid the anger of hundreds of protesters, some reported to be soccer hooligans. With cases rising in the Netherlands, the government has proposed excluding negative tests from the national health pass, allowing only vaccination or recovery from infection.
Thousands also plan to descend on Vienna on Saturday to protest Austria’s latest Covid-19 measures, including a nationwide lockdown and vaccine mandate.
Austria’s domestic intelligence service has warned that protesters may attempt to enter hospitals after calls for “action” in anti-vaccine social media groups, the Krone reported, citing the interior ministry. Police increased presence around hospitals in the Salzburg and Upper Austria regions, current virus hot-spots.
Police urged demonstrators to stay at home, warning that more than 1,300 officers would be on the streets to enforce mask mandates and social distancing requirements.
Bloomberg
It can be difficult from a distance to understand what has brought such large crowds out onto the street in Melbourne as the threat from the pandemic has receded, vaccination rates have exceeded the expectations of many and freedoms are restored.
The Age’s chief reporter Chip Le Grand has written an excellent piece this weekend looking at the road to this point.
Here’s a taste of it:
There are times in this pandemic when all of us have felt like frustrated kids in the back seat of our parents’ car, demanding to know when we will get there. The political and public health leaders at the wheel of the response have also grown weary of the road. As Premier Daniel Andrews has told us many times in his most patient dad voice, we all want it to be over.
The journey has never felt as confused, nor the ride quite so hairy, as it did this week. Just as we could finally see the approach of our destination — the vaccine threshold which triggered the removal of nearly all remaining COVID-19 restrictions — the government was urgently demanding new coercive powers which could be used to lock us in our homes, shut businesses and detain people without charge, trial or judicial review.
There are times in this pandemic when all of us have felt like frustrated kids in the back seat of our parents’ car, demanding to know when we will get there. The political and public health leaders at the wheel of the response have also grown weary of the road. As Premier Daniel Andrews has told us many times in his most patient dad voice, we all want it to be over.
The journey has never felt as confused, nor the ride quite so hairy, as it did this week. Just as we could finally see the approach of our destination — the vaccine threshold which triggered the removal of nearly all remaining COVID-19 restrictions — the government was urgently demanding new coercive powers which could be used to lock us in our homes, shut businesses and detain people without charge, trial or judicial review.
You can read the full story here.
Victoria has reported more than 1000 new cases of coronavirus in 24 hours on the first weekend after a further easing of restrictions that take Victorians close to pre-pandemic life.
There were 1166 new coronavirus infections recorded in the past day according to official numbers from the Victorian Department of Health released on Saturday morning.
This is down from 1273 cases on Friday and comes as crowds of thousands of demonstrators are expected to descend into Melbourne’s CBD on Saturday to protest the state government’s proposed pandemic bill for the fourth weekend in a row.
Five people have died in the past 24 hours after contracting the virus, while 312 people remain in hospital. Of those, 55 are in intensive care and 29 are ventilated.
Another 59 people remain seriously ill in intensive care with the virus, but are no longer infectious.
Read the full article here.
Some of Australia’s most prominent “freedom” activists involved in the protests unfolding in Melbourne plan to stand for election alongside former Liberal MP Craig Kelly as candidates for Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party.
A number of figures from the “freedom” movement – including one accused of inciting protests during Melbourne’s lockdown – have also directed their support and large social media following to support Mr Kelly, who joined the billionaire mining magnate’s party after quitting the Liberals in February.
United Australia Party MP Craig Kelly with Morgan Jonas, who has submitted his application to be a candidate with UAP Credit:Twitter
Mr Palmer’s party has received more than 1500 nominations for all 151 lower house seats and all Senate seats, and one political expert has forecast that the UAP could hold the balance of power in the event of a hung Parliament at next year’s federal election.
NSW-based Mr Kelly, who quit the Liberals after being reprimanded for propagating unsubstantiated claims about COVID-19 and vaccines, has been campaigning hard in lockdown-fatigued Victoria in recent months.
Protests in Victoria are currently focused on the state government’s pandemic bill, which would transfer public health powers from the chief health officer to the premier and health minister. Critics say the powers are too far-reaching and do not allow for proper parliamentary scrutiny of decisions.
Read the full article here.
Good morning,
Welcome to our live coverage of the protests planned for Melbourne and other cities on Saturday.
I’m Mathew Dunckley, digital editor of The Age, and I’ll be helming this blog through the day.
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2021-11-20 00:39:41Z
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