Thousands of workers in Australia took to the street and protested against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine mandates. Occurring in major cities, the protests followed authorities in the country's different states making it compulsory for employees to get injected with the vaccine.
Melbourne, Victoria
Protesters gathered outside Parliament House in Melbourne, the capital of the Australian state of Victoria, on Dec. 12 for a "Freedom Rally." The participants marched through the city, passing by Bourke Street and causing traffic to come to a halt. The demonstrators stopped to play music at the Carlton Gardens in the city, gathering afterward at the Royal Exhibition Building.
Some protesters were involved in verbal altercations, and a 59-year-old woman was arrested for assaulting a police officer. Water was also repeatedly poured on the procession from high-rise buildings in a bid to break up the crowd. But this failed to dissuade protesters while under the watch of the Victoria Police.
Slogans and chants prevalent at the Melbourne Freedom Rally included "Free Victoria" and "My body, my choice." Protesters held homemade placards that read "reclaim the line" and "freedom needs no passport," among others. Some also called for Victoria Premier Dan Andrews to be sacked. Having been state premier since 2014, Andrews drew the ire of Victorians for his draconian public health laws.
Hobart, Tasmania
Protesters at the southernmost island state of Tasmania also took to the streets to protest mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for workers. Hundreds gathered at the lawns of the state's Parliament House in the capital Hobart. They held a minute of silence for unvaccinated workers terminated from their jobs, before marching toward the precinct of Salamanca Place in the city.
Reg Watson, a spokesman for the Hobart protests, argued that people's livelihoods were being threatened and that children would soon be rolling up their sleeves. "We believe in retaining our right to choose our own medical interventions without enforcement. These mandates are against the Australian Constitution, the Nuremberg Code and absolute common sense," he said.
Meanwhile, a doctor who joined the Hobart rally described the COVID-19 vaccine as an "assault on children." He also denounced vaccine mandates as "medical apartheid."
Sydney, New South Wales
Similar protests were also organized in Sydney, the capital of New South Wales and Australia's most populous city. New South Welshmen who joined the protests voiced out concerns over the state's vaccine mandate for workers in the education and healthcare sectors. (Related: TYRANNY DOWN UNDER: Australia sends out cops, choppers to enforce coronavirus rules.)
Rally participants first congregated at Hyde Park in the city. They marched down Elizabeth Street, passing by the Haymarket and Surry Hills Suburbs, until reaching Prince Alfred Park. Some of the protesters carried colorful posters with slogans such as "You can say no" and "No vaccine passport."
Perth, Western Australia
About 1,000 protesters gathered at the streets of Perth, the capital of Western Australia (WA), on Dec. 11. They voiced out their opposition to the state's vaccine mandates now in place for about three-fourths of the state's workforce. Majority of West Australians have been injected with the vaccine, with the state soon to hit 80 percent full vaccination.
Some attendees held posters reading "Coercion is not consent." Others held posters saying "Down with McClown," in reference to the state Premier Mark McGowan. Just like his Victorian counterpart Andrews, the WA premier has also been sharply criticized for his tyrannical health measures.
Gold Coast, Queensland
The northeastern state of Queensland also saw protests against COVID-19 vaccine mandates on Dec. 12, a day before it opened its borders exclusively to vaccinated travelers on Dec. 13. About 6,000 people joined the rally in opposition to Queensland's vaccine mandate set to be effective on Dec. 17, organizers said. The participants at the rally, held at the Gold Coast's Coolangatta suburb, were entertained by live performances and public speakers.
This was not the first time Queensland saw demonstrations against vaccine mandates. Back in August, truck drivers in the state barricaded the M1 Highway at the Gold Coast to protest vaccine mandates. Banners covering the trucks called for health freedom and the lifting of stringent border restrictions. (Related: REVOLT: Australian truck drivers protest border restrictions, mandatory vaccinations as local "authorities" treat citizens like medical prisoners.)
Driver Brock Holroyd outlined the truckers' demands: "End all lockdowns, people go back to work and kids go back to school. That's all we want out of it; we've had enough of [lockdowns]. It's all about choice at the end of the day. If you don't want to get the [vaccine], don't get [it]. If you do want to get it, get it. But just don't keep locking up people."
Another driver, Tony Fulton, expressed the same sentiment: "We want to end these lockdowns. We don't want forced vaccinations and we want to open up the country and learn to live with the virus."
Resist.news has more about Australians standing up against mandatory COVID-19 injections.
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