Anti-lockdown protesters hold ‘freedom rallies’ in Australia; pelt cops with plants and bottles The protest organisers had dubbed the protest a "freedom" rally and publicised it on social media pages associated with vaccine disinformation and conspiracy theories,
Anti-lockdown protestors numbering in the thousands took to the streets in Australia’s big cities, defying stay-at-home orders and clashing with the police. In Sydney, protesters were seen uprooting plants and picking bottles from the sidewalks and hurling them at the police, reported Bloomberg. Another crowd was captured on video, chanting “freedom freedom” and marching in the city’s central business district. David Elliott, police and emergency services minister for New South Wales, criticised the protesters, telling reporters that “these are the sort of people who are going to prolong this lockdown”. About 50 people have been arrested so far in Sydney. Rallies also took place in other cities like Melbourne. The actual number of protesters is not yet known but Elliot indicated around 3,500 people participated in the mass protests. “What we saw today were 3,500 very selfish boofheads,” he said. The protest organisers had dubbed the protest a "freedom" rally and publicised it...