Anti-lockdown protesters yesterday clashed violently with police as hundreds of unmasked people marched through the streets of Melbourne.
Footage posted on social media showed protesters cheering, throwing objects at police officers and letting off flares, as well as police pepper-spraying protesters.
The Melbourne protests took place after Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews announced a lockdown in place across Melbourne would be extended across the entire state.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The state yesterday recorded 77 new cases of COVID-19.
More than 700 extra Victoria police officers were deployed to contain the lockdown protest, where social media videos showed hundreds were in attendance with some letting off flares.
People of all ages were seen walking through streets, shouting for “freedom,” while police condemned the marchers as selfish.
Public gatherings are not allowed in Victoria as the state tries to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Police on horseback lined up to block the march, which appeared to start in Russell Street and join other groups.
Police blocked and herded protesters in Melbourne, with some officers using pepper spray to keep crowds back. Few people appeared to be wearing masks.
Earlier, Victoria police said they had issued six infringement notices against people they suspected were traveling to the protests.
A crowd estimated in the thousands gathered in Brisbane City Botanic Gardens to rally against the lockdown and vaccine measures.
In Sydney, police deployed more than 1,500 extra officers and issued orders banning taxis and Ubers from taking passengers into the central business district until 3pm yesterday. Trains were not allowed to stop at city center stations.
Footage taken near Victoria Park and posted on Twitter by ABC journalist Josh Bavas showed at least two men were arrested.
In New Zealand, 21 new COVID-19 cases were recorded.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that the number would increase in the next few days, urging people to adhere to the lockdown rules.
The infections in the community outbreak of the highly transmissible Delta variant now total 51. Of the 21 new cases, 18 are in the largest city, Auckland, and three in the capital, Wellington.
Ardern on Friday extended the lockdown for the country of 5.1 million until midnight on Tuesday as the outbreak widened beyond the two key cities.
“One of the things that we’ve learned from New South Wales is that the virus can continue to spread during lockdown,” Ardern said of an outbreak in neighboring Australia’s most-populous state.
New South Wales on Saturday logged a record 825 cases as a Delta outbreak surges despite weeks-long lockdown.
“No one wants an extended lockdown and no one wants to see that rate of transmission, so the number one thing everyone can do right now is reduce down your contacts,” Ardern said.
New Zealand’s outbreak has been linked to a traveler from Sydney, the capital of New South Wales.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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