Heavy crashes and more than 250 inmates at another Australia lockdown protest

Hundreds of people were arrested on Saturday for violent clashes between protesters against containment and police in two cities in Australia, who recorded highest number of new cases of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic.

Thousands of citizens took to the streets of Sydney and Melbourne on Saturday to protest against new mobility restrictions approved by the country’s government to deal with the spread of the coronavirus.

Before noon, more than 700 police officers began issuing tickets on the streets of Melbourne on those planning to join the protest against the city’s lockdown. In addition, they were responsible for enforcing anti-Covid-19 regulations during the mobilization.

Meanwhile, in Sydney, police have launched a “major operation” to crack down on planned marches, and have announced that anyone failing to comply with current health regulations will be fined, according to the local newspaper. Sydney Morning Herald.

More than 1,500 officers have been deployed in the city, blocking streets and detaining dozens of people, NSW State Police reported.

Mass arrests

But, as happened in similar mobilisations at the end of July, the protest against the Sydney blockade led to mass arrests based on the violation of a public health order.

So, as the police arrested some of the protesters, the crowd threw slogans against the government and its measures which, as they denounce, directly attack “the laws and the Constitution”.

Against this backdrop, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard sent a message to citizens who marched on the marches against the restrictions.

And he described them as people who “don’t care” about the pandemic situation in the country.

Pepper spray

At the same time, protesters in Melbourne launched flares shouting “freedom”. Very few wore chin straps, according to the local newspaper. Age.

In this town, the police used pepper spray against the demonstrators. Seven police officers were injured and more than 200 people were arrested in a “violent and illegal” protest, Victoria State Police said in a statement.

Hazzard regretted that Australia is in “a very serious situation” with a very saturated health system and in which there is a section of the population that “deliberately does not comply with what has been asked to do”.

Infection registry

New South Wales health authorities on Saturday reported a new record of coronavirus infections, with 825 new positives, as well as three more deaths in the past 24 hours.

Deputy director of health, Dr Mariaanne Gale, said of the 85 people admitted to the intensive care unit, 76 are not vaccinated, while the other nine patients have only received a single dose of vaccine.

As New South Wales recorded 642 local cases on Friday, Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian announced radical new restrictions for Sydney, including one curfew for hotspot regions, as well as the mandatory use of an exterior mask for the whole city.

Major protests were also reported in the city of Brisbane.

Australia, which had been isolated to prevent entry of the virus, has faced a spike in cases since June due to the arrival of the contagious Delta variant which has caused a return of severe restrictions.

Source: AFP and DPA

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