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Australian police clash with anti-Covid-19 lockdown protesters, arrest nearly 270

2021-09-20 00:00:00.0 海峡时报-亚洲原网页

MELBOURNE (REUTERS) - Australia’s police arrested 235 people in Melbourne and 32 in Sydney on Saturday (Sept 18) at unsanctioned anti-lockdown rallies and several police officers were injured in clashes with protesters.

Victoria police said six officers required hospitalisation. Several officers were knocked to the ground and trampled, the police said and television footage showed.

About 700 people managed to gather in parts of Melbourne, as 2,000 officers made the city centre virtually a no-go zone, setting up checkpoints and barricades. Public transport and ride shares into the city were suspended.

In Sydney, riot squad officers, highway patrol, detectives and general duties police were also deployed to the streets, preventing large gatherings.

Australia has been grappling with an outbreak of the Delta variant of the coronavirus since mid-June, with both Sydney and Melbourne, and the capital Canberra, in strict lockdown for weeks now.

On Saturday, there were 1,882 new coronavirus cases reported, most of them in Sydney.

New South Wales reported 1,331 Covid-19 cases, mostly in state capital Sydney, and six deaths, while Victoria had 535 new infections, again mostly in state capital Melbourne, along with one death.

Most of the restrictions in Victoria, New South Wales and Canberra are to remain until at least 70 per cent of those 16 and older are fully vaccinated, which based on the current pace of inoculations could be late next month or early November.

A high rate of compliance with public health orders has helped Australia keep the number of infections relatively low, with just less than 85,000 total cases and 1,145 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

The vast majority of Australians support vaccinations and the public health measures, but there have been sporadic and sometimes violent protests against the management of the pandemic.

New South Wales police on Friday issued a warning against the protests, saying participants could expect to face penalties ranging from a fine to being arrested.

“It was extremely disappointing to see another example of a small minority of the community showing a complete disregard for the health and safety of not only police, but each and every other Victorian,” Victoria Police said in a separate statement.