THIRD DAY OF PROTEST CHAOS ON THE STREETS OF MELBOURNE

Wed 22 September 2021:

More than 200 individuals were arrested during rallies over COVID-19 restrictions in Melbourne, Australia’s Victoria state police reported on Wednesday.

For the third day in a row, some 1,000 people came to the streets in Australia’s second largest city, converging on a local war memorial, in defiance of lockdown measures mandating residents to stay at home due to rising COVID-19 cases. After demonstrators began throwing bottles at police officers, arrests began.

“Of those that came in, we arrested over 200 people,” Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner for Public Safety and Security Ross Guenther told reporters, as quoted by the 9News broadcaster, adding that about 300 protesters were fined.

A flare was set off and explosion-like sounds were heard as protesters ran from the shrine after police deployed tear gas this afternoon.

Many ran through traffic on a nearby road, where a car crashed into a tram in the chaos.

Golf balls, tap handles and batteries were thrown at police amid the chaos, Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner, Public Safety & Security Command, Ross Guenther, said.

Two police officers were injured in the clashes, while a third officer was taken to the hospital with chest problems.

Those arrested, according to the broadcaster, refused to speak to reporters on the scene, chanting “fake news” when approached.

On the request of the local police, Australia’s aviation authorities established a no-fly zone over Melbourne until Sunday morning.

Construction workers began protesting on Monday after the Australian government suspended construction for two weeks to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The Tuesday demonstration in Melbourne drew people from all walks of life.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, speaking in Washington DC, addressed the protests this morning.

“I can understand that people would be concerned about the shutdown of the construction industry – these are important jobs and they will return, we will get through this – but protest activity, and what we’ve seen there, I think, is highly distressing and that is not an appropriate response,” Morrison said.

_____________________________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent