Anti-restrictions protesters gather at Daniel Andrews’ office
While Daniel Andrews is in hospital recovering after a fall, anti-restrictions protesters have rallied outside the Premier’s office.
Victoria
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Anti-lockdown protesters vented their anger at Daniel Andrews at a rally on Thursday night, while the Premier remained in hospital.
Organisers denied they were being insensitive by staging the demonstration two days after the Premier suffered a serious vertebrae injury from falling down steps.
Reignite Democracy Australia, the group behind the protest, said the event had been planned prior to Mr Andrews’ injury.
About 50 people attended the rally outside 1 Treasury Place as a small police presence monitored the crowd.
Reignite Democracy Australia founder Monica Smit said “perhaps some people didn’t come because they thought it was being insensitive”.
But she said Mr Andrews’ fall “changes absolutely nothing for me”.
“I feel bad for him as a human but it doesn’t change the last year”.
Ms Smit had earlier posted a video on the Reignite Democracy Australia Facebook page where she said the suggestion to postpone the protest because the Premier was in hospital was a “ridiculous notion”.
“As a human being of course I feel bad for anyone who’s suffering, physically or mentally, but it changes nothing,” she said in the Facebook video.
“Him falling down a set of stairs, I’m sorry it doesn’t change anything, it doesn’t change the facts.
“We’re not wishing him ill at all, it has nothing to do with that whatsoever.”
Ms Smit said part of the reason they chose to go ahead was because they had speakers who had travelled from interstate.
She said she hoped Mr Andrews made a full recovery “so that he can stand trial in the International Criminal Court one day”.
The rally took take place as Mr Andrews recovers from spinal injuries at the Alfred trauma centre.
The premier broke several ribs and damaged his vertebrae in a nasty fall during his long weekend getaway at the Mornington Peninsula.
Originally published as Anti-restrictions protesters gather at Daniel Andrews’ office
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