'It's bats*** crazy': Cops savage 'tin foil hat wearing brigade' as a 76-year-old is arrested over a planned anti-lockdown protest in Melbourne - and they let rip on 5G conspiracy theorists
- An elderly man was charged with incitement for allegedly planning a protest
- The 76-year-old is the alleged organiser of the 'Freedom Day' rally in Melbourne
- He will face court at a later date and could be fined up to $20,000 for incitement
- Victoria Police's Luke Cornelius slammed protests as 'bats*** crazy nonsense'
- If the protest goes ahead, it will go against Victoria's current Stage 4 lockdown
A senior cop has slammed Victoria's 'tin foil hat-wearing brigade' for planning an anti-lockdown protest in Melbourne.
A 76-year-old man was arrested and charged with incitement after police executed a search warrant at his Windsor home on Friday morning.
The man was allegedly planning a 'Freedom Day' rally to be held at Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance on September 5.
He was released on strict bail conditions requiring him to stop inciting protests and will face court at a later date, where he could fined up to $20,000.
A 76-year-old man was arrested and charged with incitement for allegedly planning a 'Freedom Day' rally (Pictured) in Melbourne on September 5. The anti-lockdown movement has gone national with protests planned in other state capital cities like Sydney and Brisbane
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius said the protest carried a serious risk of undoing the hard work of the vast majority of Victorians.
'The tin foil hat-wearing brigade are alive and well in our community,' he told reporters on Friday.
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'They're taking every opportunity to leverage the current situation to serve their own ridiculous notions about so-called sovereign citizens, about constitutional issues and about how 5G is going to kill your grandkids.
'It's bats*** crazy nonsense.'
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius (pictured) slammed the 'tin foil hat-wearing brigade' who are planning to protest the Stage 4 lockdown
Mr Cornelius explained the rally was set up to protest the Melbourne Stage 4 restrictions among other things.
'Participating in this proposed protest would be a serious and blatant breach of the chief health officer's directions and it jeopardises the health of the entire community,' he said.
While Victoria Police are working hard to shut down the Freedom Day rally in Melbourne, there are other planned protests in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra, Adelaide and Hobart.
Facebook group Freedom Day has 4,200 members but has an ambitious goal of gathering 500,000 protesters across the country for rallies on September 5.
It comes as police deal with a daily protest in suburban Melbourne.
Hundreds of people have been gathering in and around Dandenong's George Andrews Reserve since Monday.
Two people were arrested at Thursday's assembly, with a total 17 fines issued.
Since Monday, police have made nine arrests and handed out 48 fines at the Dandenong protest.
Mr Cornelius says people are trying to play the 'innocent card' when approached by police and wasting their resources.
'That's why this behaviour is so selfish,' he said.
The protest is also illegal under Melbourne's current Stage 4 lockdown and the assistant commissioner is vowing to stamp it out.
A man is taken down by police in Dandenong on Wednesday evening after going for a group walk
