In Melbourne, police used hot spray to calm participants
In the dispersion of protests in Australia against antiquity measures, police arrested nearly 270 people – 235 in Melbourne and 32 in Sydney, Reuters said. Several police officers were injured in clashes with protesters.
In Melbourne, Australia’s second largest city, police used hot spray to quell a rally against the lockdown, the Associated Press reported. About 1,000 protesters gathered in the suburbs of Richmond after the protest site was changed at the last minute to avoid government intervention.
About 2,000 police officers patrolled the streets of Melbourne and were stationed at checkpoints and fences in an attempt to thwart unauthorized rallies. Public transport was stopped. Initial information was about limited clashes and a small group of demonstrators who behaved more aggressively, as well as several detainees. Information about the arrests was later updated. Six police officers were hospitalized.
The sixth lockdown in Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, began on August 5th. Today, 535 new infections were reported and one died of covid in the last 24 hours.
–
–
There were also protests in Sydney, which has also been under heavy lockdown for weeks.
Most of the restrictions in the Australian capital, Canberra, Victoria and New South Wales, will remain in place until at least 70 percent of the population over the age of 16 is fully vaccinated. If vaccination is going at the current pace, it could happen in late October or early November, Reuters notes.
–
