Australia: Thousands protest in Melbourne against new pandemic laws, vaccine mandate

On Saturday, thousands of activists gathered in Melbourne's Central Business District (CBD) in Australia ahead of a planned "camp-out" protest outside State Parliament next week denouncing the state's contentious pandemic bill. It is the third weekend in a row of civil unrest marked by the protests in the state against new pandemic laws. The numbers at the weekly rallies - which protest against vaccines, mandates, Premier Daniel Andrews, and the pandemic response - appear to have been increasing in recent weeks, reported The Age citing Victoria Police.

Both Victorian Liberal MP Bernie Finn and federal Liberal MP Craig Kelly addressed the crowd. Meanwhile, protesters shouted death threats against Premier Andrews, while one man marched through the streets with homemade gallows with three nooses dangling from it. Beginning Monday, November 15, organisers have planned a 24/7 protest at State Parliament, claiming they will camp out to oppose the bill. "The movement is ramping up, and we will not stop until this bill is repealed," read a message put out on encrypted Telegram chat rooms, reported the outlet. 

When state-of-emergency powers expire on December 15, the new pandemic laws will provide the premier and health minister of the day the authority to declare a pandemic and issue public health decrees. The law will also curtail the role of the chief health officer. The Victorian Bar and 60 top silks have signed an open letter urging the Victorian Parliament to change or vote against the bill, claiming that in its current form, it would give politicians "a blank cheque to rule by decree," reported The Age. 

Protesters compared the Victorian government to Nazis

While the rally on Saturday was calm and attended by young, old, and families with children, several speakers, chants, and posters explicitly referenced Qanon conspiracy theories, including allegations on politicians for engaging in paedophilia. Several banners compared the Victorian government to the Nazis and supported violence against politicians. In addition, religious messaging and emblems were also prominently shown. 

Kelly, a former Liberal who now leads the independent United Australia Party, campaigned against child vaccination and vaccine passports. He reminded protesters, "We have a lot of fights ahead of us, the most important struggle is to safeguard our children," reported the outlet. Notably, Kelly has been chastised in the past for making false statements about COVID-19 and vaccines. The government is expecting that the Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment (pandemic management) Bill 2021, which was passed in the lower house last month, would pass in the upper house next week with the support of three crossbenchers.

Image: Twitter/@ Rachael Dexter