Police crowd a footpath looking for defiant anti-lockdown protesters in Dandenong.

By Tony Mobilifonitis

Fanos Panayides during an angry social media message last week.

PROMINENT Victorian freedom activist Fanos Panayides has been arrested by Dan Andrews’ Victoria Police-turned-Gestapo/Stasi/KGB as tens of thousands of patriotic, freedom-loving Victorians prepare to rally for freedom this Saturday at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance.

Messages on social media and Telegram said police had seized Panayides’ laptop and phone, apparently with a search warrant. Media reported he was charged with “incitement” in relation to “directions” given by the chief health officer. Legal opinion suggests the directions to wear masks and quarantine are illegal as they can only be carried out under the federal Biosecurity Act.
According to a News Limited report on August 25th, the End the Vic Lockdown & Celebrate Freedom event on Facebook had more than 35,000 people listed as attending, with a further 23,000 indicating interest.

The word from organisers for Saturday was to keep everything orderly and peaceful with masks and social distancing as Andrews and his cronies would likely seize upon any violence or breaking of regulations to justify continuing his draconian, destructive shutdown. Andrews won a motion in the Victorian Legislative Council by one vote (20-29) this week to continue the state of emergency for six months. The vote crossed the line with help of the Greens and former Sex Party now “Reason Party” MP Fiona Patten.

During the week people continued to protest in Dandenong, using the state government’s so-called one-hour exercise and shopping time to run out on to the streets. One group set a flare alight to highlight the action. Police swarmed one neighbourhood to arrest a man who was standing in his front yard having a cigarette. One of the neighbours challenged the police to come arrest her and take away her baby “for the pedos you protect”.

Long-time Victorian activist Diane Teasdale told social media followers those intending to go to the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne “please take care”. “Be within the five kilometer radius. Have your identification and be prepared to give it to the police – and wear a mask. Being there is what is important so don’t give the ‘batshit crazy fat man’ any reason to give you grief.”

‘Batshit crazy fat man’ is a reference to assistant police commissioner Luke Cornelius who unleashed a slanderous attack on COVID lockdown protesters, actually calling them in public at a press conference “the tinfoil hat brigade” and their concerns “batshit crazy nonsense”. This is the same Assist. Comm. Cornelius who back in June, bowed and scraped to the Black Lives Matters revolutionary Marxist movement who protested in Melbourne amid restrictions on public gatherings. Cornelius said he “respected their right to protest over the George Floyd “alleged murder”.

Victorians will have to break the dictatorial rules on the 5km movement restriction, the one-hour shopping and exercise “window” and the 8pm to 5am curfew.

Meanwhile protest supporter James Bartolo from the Conscious Truth Network, said on social media the protest was about freedom. “We’re talking to those people who are awake and know what’s happening and who know what’s going on and know it’s not in their best interests, and we’re talking to those people in the middle.”

He urged concerned people to make a 30 second video, as some have already done, on why they were going to the protest.
“For me it’s about freedom. You don’t want to live locked down forever. If we don’t do something people, why would they stop? … If we don’t stop it, no-one’s going to stop it for us. No-one’s going to intervene. The powers that are dictating and controlling aren’t going to say ‘oh look at them, look at the stupid little sheep, they’re behaving so well! They’re so obedient and so complacent. Let’s take away all the restrictions … and live life as before the plandemic. No, it’s not going to happen.”