It appears as though Freedom protesters have returned to last year’s tactics, organising smaller protests at suburban shopping centres to make it more difficult for police resources to be mobilised to stop them.
Victoria’s Stasi fan out across a park in a vain attempt to engage the resistance.#Northcote #MelbourneRioters #MelbourneProtestors pic.twitter.com/b5of8KsufR
— XYZ (@itsyourxyz) September 24, 2021
A rally had purportedly been organised for this morning in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD, which resulted in a massive police operation which covered the entire city centre. Ordinary people going about their shopping were harassed in the morning by over-zealous police.
The ruse appears to have worked with a strong crowd of several hundred gathering at a shopping centre in Northcote.
It’s not over yet #northcoteplaza pic.twitter.com/vihWxZdwMA
— Luke (@droluka) September 24, 2021
Hundreds of police soon flooded the area. Sure enough, they started harassing local residents.
Lunatic policeman yells at car in #Northcote, #Melbourne.#MelbourneProtesters #melbournehasfallen pic.twitter.com/nbS8bYvYtR
— XYZ (@itsyourxyz) September 24, 2021
It is probably quite a shocking experience for Northcote’s mostly lesbian population. We have become used to seeing organised lines of police advancing on protesters in the flat streets of the city. Today they marched through a skate park.
Robocops march through a skate park.#Northcote #MelbourneProtesters #melbournelockdown #COVID19 #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/P56pn9Hovo
— XYZ (@itsyourxyz) September 24, 2021
And chased after kids.
Kids running away from the #COVID19 cops in #Northcote.#MelbourneProtesters pic.twitter.com/YIxojSpbK9
— XYZ (@itsyourxyz) September 24, 2021
Some protesters escaped into said All Nation’s Park next to the shopping centre, hotly pursued by police. Suburban streets were turned into scenes from Lord of the Rings, except instead of orcs chasing hobbits it was orcs chasing kids who just want an end to the lockdown.
At the Plaza they made the usual heavy handed arrests.
Cops are starting to arrest people #northcoteplaza https://t.co/y0nhUJJJCM pic.twitter.com/9vhgf9R3Xo
— Luke (@droluka) September 24, 2021
Police make arrests as more officers surround Northcote Plaza in an attempt to quell the dozens of protesters @theheraldsun pic.twitter.com/52eBqSHs8E
— Olivia Jenkins (@byoliviajenkins) September 24, 2021
What appears clear from this is that the protesters are learning. Understanding that this is an information war, the early announcement of a CBD protest appears to have been a clever act of deception to buy themselves time. Targeting random locations throughout Melbourne’s suburbs will make it more difficult for police to plan countermeasures.
It will radicalise residents still slumbering in the illusion that the lockdowns may one day be over if we all just follow the rules. Being asked for identification just for going to the shops tends to have that effect.
Riot squad deployed to move on people at Northcote Plaza after small protest @SkyNewsAust pic.twitter.com/dOXQD8Cmqe
— Melissa Christidis (@MelChristi) September 24, 2021
Encouragingly, when they say “every day”, they mean it.
#MelbourneProtesters chant #Everyday pic.twitter.com/g8ICqxJF9t
— XYZ (@itsyourxyz) September 24, 2021
