[ad_1]
MELBOURNE: Ten people were arrested and one police officer wounded on Sunday (May 10) in a protest against the closure in Melbourne, where protesters claimed that COVID-19 was a government-designed conspiracy designed to control the population.
About 150 protesters demonstrated outside Victoria’s state parliament to protest a shutdown aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19, while promoting conspiracy theories about the virus.
Ad
READ: Australia’s Largest State to Ease COVID-19 Blockade May 15
At least 10 people were arrested in a protest against the blockade in Melbourne. (Photo: AFP / William West)
Most Australian states and territories have begun easing the restrictions, but Victoria has delayed the relaxation of its measures amid an outbreak at a Melbourne slaughterhouse that caused an increase in new cases.
In scenes reminiscent of protests against the blockade in the United States, protesters carried banners saying “Fight for your freedom and your rights,” and directed their anger at the founder of Microsoft, chanting “Arrest Bill Gates.”
Ad
READ: Australia annoys when USA USA Pushes COVID-19 theory from Wuhan lab
Protesters against the blockade on the steps of the Victoria State Parliament in Melbourne. (Photo: AFP / William West)
Fano Panayides, 37, said he was skeptical of the government that declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, saying he believed it was a cover for authorities to gain greater control over the population.
“If this thing were half as deadly as they said, with half the population out there working, even with shutdown orders, this thing would have spread like wildfire across Australia. There would be no way to stop her. ” he told AFP.
Health experts attribute Australia’s success in curbing the spread of COVID-19 to effective closure nationwide.
A Victoria police spokeswoman said 10 people were arrested at the Sunday rally, mainly for violating social estrangement and orders to stay home.
“Three of the criminals will also be accused of assaulting a police officer, and another criminal will be accused of unloading a missile after allegedly throwing a bottle at the police,” he said.
The spokeswoman added that police were working to locate other attendees of the protest, who could face fines of $ 1,600 for violating the coronavirus closure rules.
Australian Medical Director Brendan Murphy said there was “a lot of very silly misinformation”, including that the virus was linked to 5G.
“Unfortunately, I myself have received a lot of communication from these conspiracy theorists. It is complete nonsense. 5G has nothing to do with the coronavirus,” he said.
Australia has recorded around 7,000 cases of COVID-19 and less than 100 deaths from the virus.
CHECK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
