# Police arrest dozens at Melbourne anti-lockdown protest
Source URL: 	https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/heavy-police-force-greets-anti-lockdown-protesters-across-melbourne-at-the-shrine-20200905-p55so3.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed
Date: 		20200905T0513

About 100 police were in and around the Shrine early in the day. Mounted
officers were used to move the crowd on about midday amid chants of
‘Dictator Dan’ and ‘Let the kids live’.

The crowd then walked around Albert Park Lake. There was initially few
police accompanying the protesters but a helicopter maintained
surveillance.

Demonstrators were flying Australian flags and chanting "Aussie, Aussie,
Aussie".

Just before 1pm, officers from the Public Order Response Team arrived at
Albert Park and several more arrests were made as most of the crowd
scattered. Police then circled a small group of protesters who did not
run away and made further arrests.

A police officer and protester scuffle on Saturday.Credit:Justin McManus

One woman, who would not share her name, but said she was from France,
told media at the Shrine: "We’re not criminal, we’re not doing anything
wrong".

"Everyone here has families, they’re here with their friends, they don’t
want to get arrested," she said. "There’s so many people who would love
to be here today but they can’t."

In one incident, a man charged at police as they arrested another person
and began throwing punches before he was also arrested.

Another man was arrested by police after telling officers any fines
would be "unlawful". His white T-shirt sported black hand-written scrawl
about Bill Gates.

Protesters at the Shrine of Remembrance.Credit:Justin McManus

"We’re trying to educate people. We’re trying to tell people what’s
going on," he said after police had him handcuffed.

Another woman toting a hand-painted sign which said ‘end the lockdown,
end the suffering’ told the media through tears she was "asking the
world to help us".

Police told the woman to move away, as she had already received a fine
for breaking the Chief Health Officer’s stay-at-home directions.

Asked about the heavy police presence in central Melbourne on Saturday
Premier Daniel Andrews revealed his own car was stopped on the way to
work this morning.

Protesters moved to Albert Park Lake after police pushed them from the
Shrine of Remembrance.Credit:Luis Enqique Ascui

"There is a very visible, very significant police presence in the city,"
he said.

"Some people have forecast that they in a selfish, dangerous and
unlawful way protest and police are taking appropriate steps. It is
absolutely selfish for people to be out there protesting.

"The only protest we should be engaged in, the only argument, the only
fight we should be engaged in as against this virus.

"Let's not any of us do anything that might jeopardise this strategy
stopping, let's not any of us do anything that might see more
coronavirus cases rather than less. That is just not worth it."

A man is arrested at the anti-lockdown protest at the Shrine of
Remembrance.Credit:Justin McManus

Anti-lockdown activists have drawn thousands of their followers onto
encrypted messaging apps as Facebook blocks their social media pages.

A channel appeared on chat app Telegram on Tuesday, and by Thursday
night had garnered more than 5300 members.

Prominent Melbourne-based anti-lockdown activist Raph Fernandez told his
followers on Thursday he no longer supports the protest.

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"I feel like we are playing right into the hands of authority, at least
in Melbourne," he said in a Facebook live video seen by thousands.

Police have drawn criticism in recent days from legal and civil liberty
groups for their treatment of alleged organisers accused of inciting the
protests.

In one case, a pregnant woman from [Ballarat was arrested and
handcuffed][1] in her lounge on Wednesday while a Melbourne man had his
door broken down on Friday morning when [police arrested and charged
him][2] with alleged incitment.

A woman, who said she didn’t want her name made public, said she had
joined the demonstration on Saturday because COVID-19 was an “excuse”
for the state to be locked up.

"This is not a pandemic, 650 deaths is not a pandemic by anyone’s
standards," she said.

"Young people are not catching but they’re shutting our schools down.
Every act of oppression is unjust and unwarranted."

A woman is led from the protest by police.Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui

She said she believed the real numbers of people who agreed with the
anti-lockdown were in the "thousands", despite the lower turnout at the
Shrine.

"Dan Andrews will probably use this as an excuse to extend the
lockdown."

The 15 people arrested on Saturday remained in custody late on Saturday
afternoon, and police said they expected to hand out more fines as
protesters were identified.

Multiple people were also arrested at similar protests in the Sydney CBD
on Saturday morning.

A NSW Police spokeswoman confirmed a police operation was under way in
response to an unauthorised protest at Hyde Park.

A man is seen bleeding from a head wound incurred during a dramatic
arrest in Hyde Park.Credit:Brook Mitchell

"At this stage, a number of people have been arrested including a man
who allegedly assaulted an officer," she said.

"The officer did not require medical treatment and the operation is
ongoing."

Eyewitnesses said about 50 to 60 people were in attendance at 11am and
described "a few violent arrests".

Online, organisers have also said they would protest at Sydney Olympic
Park later on Saturday.

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