by Dee McLachlanGumshoe News

With the biggest police presence in 20 years, the government had announced that it was going to completely lock down the city of Melbourne. So when I cycled to the city this morning I was not sure how the planned protest would unfold. Twenty minutes before 12pm I got a message saying the crowds were meeting at Bridge Road in Richmond.

A smaller than usual crowd had found its way there, and as the police advanced from both sides, the crowd took the side streets. The police seemingly backed off at first, but then attempted to block the crowd in from both sides. A stalemate developed as the protesters were slowly crushed into a smaller and smaller area. Forget social distancing.

People then began jumping a fence and this set the march off across the Yarra River towards Kew. The crowd, blocked again, detoured down Barkers street — a cutting through the hillside. For a good camera view, I took to the cycle path above to see a heavy police presence waiting at the bottom of the cutting. More police quickly blocked escape by coming up behind trapping the protestors.

I’m not quite sure what the police expected — but the whole pincer and trapping strategy could only lead to one conclusion: a charge to evade being trapped. The action was inciting ‘action’ — deliberately. You can see in the video how it unfolded.

Andrew’s enforcer hero pepper spay lady in her 70’s on the ground

Freedom to protest Australian style 2021 watch lady in her 70’s pushed to the ground and pepper spayed in this video

This is how our two party preferred system of government protect the elderly – Do you think it’s time for change? – Had enough yet? – AUSTRALIA 2021