Spurts of violence as police and protesters square off on Spring St
Police used pepper spray on protesters after objects, including a coffee cup and a plastic bottle, were thrown at them as more than a hundred anti-lockdown activists held a noisy demonstration outside State Parliament.
As the city enjoyed Tuesday's warm sunshine in the build up to the Melbourne Cup, police – who were out in similar numbers to demonstrators – formed a ring around the group as they chanted and gave speeches from about midday.
Police encircle protesters as tensions flare.Credit:Jason South
As protesters sang "sack Dan Andrews" and "freedom", police began to pick them off one by one, taking them to a cordoned area and fining some of them for breaching public health directions by gathering in groups of more than 10 and, in other cases, not wearing masks.
Spurts of violence occurred in moments when demonstrators attempted to move to a different location, away from the corner of Bourke and Spring streets and were blocked by officers who formed a strong perimeter.
Police used pepper spray on one of these occasions when a group of demonstrators stared down officers and began pushing back against them. The crowd, including those viewing from outside the police ring, chanted "shame, shame, shame" after the incident.
A coffee cup and plastic bottle were thrown at police after the capsicum spray incident, after which tempers began to cool. Police then started to individually escort protesters to an area adjacent to Parliament where they had their details taken and were asked to head away from the area.
One police officer on the ground during a scuffle between lockdown protesters and police on Tuesday.Credit:Jason South
A man was left bleeding from the head after he was pinned to the ground following a scuffle with police outside the Princess Theatre. A photograph taken by The Age shows a police officer lying flat on the ground in Bourke Street as police tried to push against oncoming demonstrators.
A man in his 60s from Melbourne’s outer west said he was there to protest against what he believed was a "complete abuse of powers" by the state government.
"If there is a virus, I think the reaction to it has been an overreaction," said the man, who didn’t want to give his name.
"I'm concerned for my children and I'm concerned for my grandchildren because it's like a frog in the saucepan.
"They keep turning up the heat and before you know it it’s too late. Little by little our rights are being eroded."
In private message platforms, activists discussed moving the demonstration to Bourke Street Mall but police were not allowing them to move and numbers dwindled significantly as police escorted dozens away. By mid-afternoon the protest was coming to an end.
The crowd at one point turned on a Channel Seven reporter and her cameraman, screaming "tell the truth" at them as they made their way through the crowd.
Spring Street was closed to road traffic along with sections of Collins and Bourke streets that adjoin to Spring Street.
Health Minister Martin Foley said earlier on Tuesday that protesting remained against public health directives that allow up to 10 people to gather outdoors from two different households.
"The democratic right to protest is an important right, but an even more important right is to make sure we stay safe," he said.
Capsicum spray was used by police on members of the crowd that gathered to protest the Victorian government's response to COVID-19 and support conspiracy theories about the virus.Credit:Jason South
With Bianca Hall
Paul is a reporter for The Age.
Chloe Booker is a city reporter for The Age.