Coronavirus: Arrests at Australia anti-lock down protests

Ns News Online Desk: Australian police have made dozens of arrests amid anti-lock down protests attended by hundreds nationwide. In Melbourne, the center of Australia’s outbreak, about 300 people marched in defiance of tough measures that have been in place for a month.
Other protests took place in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
On Friday PM Scott Morrison said seven of the country’s eight states and territories had agreed to open their internal borders by December.
He suggested an eventual travel bubble with New Zealand could boost tourism and help revive the economy.
“In the absence of a vaccine, we may have to live this way for years,” he warned.Confirmed virus cases in Australia have more than tripled to over 26,000 over the past two months, with deaths rising to 748 from 104 over the same period. In Melbourne protesters chanted “freedom” and “human rights matter” amid a heavy police presence.
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews was also singled out – “We are in a city where the cure from Daniel Andrews is actually worse than what’s happening,” protester Fiona Kat told AFP.
Police said they had made 15 arrests – 14 for breaching lock down rules and one for assaulting a police officer who received lacerations to the head. They also issued more than 150 fines for lock down breaches.Mr Andrews condemned the event – “It is not safe, it is not smart, it is not lawful. In fact, it is absolutely selfish for people to be out there protesting,” he told reporters.
There were smaller rallies elsewhere, including two in Sydney and one in Byron Bay that turned violent, according to local media. Police made 14 arrests, including three people suspected of assaulting police officers.
The protests were largely driven by fringe online groups promoting virus-related and anti-vaccination conspiracy theories.
Police had earlier drawn criticism for the arrest of a pregnant woman for promoting the protest online. On Friday officers broke into the home of a former bodybuilder and conspiracy theorist who had also been calling for people to join the event.