Thousands of Protesters swarm Australian Parliament
The demonstrators, who have been in Canberra over a week, want an immediate end to Covid restrictions
RT-World News
Protesters gathered at Parliament House in the Australian capital, Canberra on Saturday, demanding an end to coronavirus measures. The demonstrators, who arrived by truck, car, and bus over the last week, had camped at a nearby festival ground.
Video footage of the demonstration showed crowds of people streaming into the city and assembling outside parliament. 7News reporter Jennifer Bechwati described the gathering as “one of the biggest protests I’ve ever seen.”
Looks like Australia’s had it with being one of the last remaining vestiges of strict COVID tyranny, as hundreds of thousands march on the capital of Canberra today as part of Australia’s freedom convoy.pic.twitter.com/dKQqFdFMqX
— Michael P Senger (@MichaelPSenger) February 12, 2022
🚨BREAKING: Our news chopper over Parliament House right now. One of the biggest protests I’ve ever seen. #7NEWS #auspol #ConvoyToCanberra pic.twitter.com/ox0crpU2oa
— Jennifer Bechwati (@jenbechwati) February 12, 2022
MASSIVE: A bird’s eye view of the convoy heading to Parliament House right now in Canberra.#ConvoyToCanberra #CanberraConvoy #ConvoyForFreedom2022
— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) February 12, 2022
Once outside the Australian legislature, the crowd chanted “sack them all,” referring to Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the state premiers responsible for implementing some of the world’s toughest pandemic-related restrictions. In Victoria, for example, face masks and proof of vaccination are required in most indoor settings and employees in most sectors are required to be vaccinated to work.
At least three people were arrested on Saturday, with one detained for driving his truck through a roadblock. Police said the crowd of around 10,000 was “generally well behaved.”
Thousands of anti-mandate protesters chant ‘SACK THEM ALL’ outside Parliament House in Canberra today.#ConvoyToCanberra #CanberraConvoy #ConvoyForFreedom2022 https://t.co/lZ0Ea9NgkD pic.twitter.com/WpVvZSLgVJ
— Rebel News Australia (@RebelNews_AU) February 12, 2022
Pouring into the city over the last week, the protesters had camped in caravans, cars, trucks, and buses at a nearby exhibition ground. Several hours before the protest, they were ordered to clear out by Sunday or risk arrest for trespassing.
Morrison responded to the protest by urging participants to demonstrate in a “peaceful and respectful way.” The Australian leader stated that all vaccine mandates in the country save for some rules for healthcare workers were implemented by state premiers and not his government.
“They have not been put in place by the commonwealth government … so I understand their concerns about these issues,” Morrison said.
According to government figures, 94% of Australians aged 16 and over are fully vaccinated. The Australian Capital Territory, the jurisdiction that encompasses Canberra and its surrounds, is the most vaccinated region in Australia, with more than 99% of the population aged over 16 jabbed.
Some vehicles arriving in Canberra prior to the protest were decorated with flags and the phrase “Convoy to Canberra.” The protest is one of several ‘Freedom Convoys’ loosely inspired by a truckers’ protest in Canada that clogged the streets of Ottawa and blockaded several border crossings between Canada and the US. Protests involving trucks and other vehicles are currently underway in New Zealand and France, with the French protesters expected to join other European truckers and drivers, and converge on Brussels early next week.
*********
(TLB) published this video report from RT-World News
Header featured image (edited) credit: Protesters gather on the lawn of Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, February 12, 2022 © Getty Images / Tracey Nearmy
Emphasis added by (TLB) editors
••••
••••
Stay tuned to …
••••
The Liberty Beacon Project is now expanding at a near exponential rate, and for this we are grateful and excited! But we must also be practical. For 7 years we have not asked for any donations, and have built this project with our own funds as we grew. We are now experiencing ever increasing growing pains due to the large number of websites and projects we represent. So we have just installed donation buttons on our websites and ask that you consider this when you visit them. Nothing is too small. We thank you for all your support and your considerations … (TLB)
••••
Comment Policy: As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence, racism, or personal/abusive attacks on other users. This also applies to trolling, the use of more than one alias, or just intentional mischief. Enforcement of this policy is at the discretion of this websites administrators. Repeat offenders may be blocked or permanently banned without prior warning.
••••
Disclaimer: TLB websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
••••
Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Leave a Reply