Hundreds march on Cairns CBD as part of freedom rally against vaccine mandates

Freedom to choose was a key message among marchers at a rally on the Cairns Esplanade this morning.

ROSEMARIE Bishop has been to a number of rallies in recent months – and is hoping that freedom rallies like the one in Cairns on Saturday will continue to draw attention to the anti-vaccine mandate cause.

“It’s all about choice,” Mrs Bishop said as she marched down the Cairns Esplanade with approximately 1500 other rally-goers.

“This is what it boils down to – a choice of not having to take a trial drug, bottom line.”

Mrs Bishop said it was important to her to attend the rally because people had to realise “the government’s stepping all over our rights”.

A large crowd up to 1500 people attended the Worldwide Rally for Freedom north of Muddy's Playground, before marching down the Esplanade and through the Cairns CBD. Rosemary Bishop and Carmelita Almain carry placards at the march along the Esplanade. Picture: Brendan Radke

“I don’t want to be an experiment, I’m not a guinea pig. No one’s a guinea pig,” she said.

“It’s got nothing to do with whether you believe in vaccinations or not – that’s not what we’re here for today. It’s about the freedom to choose.”

The march in Cairns was part of nationwide freedom rallies on Saturday.

Queensland Health said in a statement that vaccines were safe and effective.

“We can’t make this any clearer: Vaccines. Save. Lives,” a spokesperson said.

“The vast majority of Queenslanders are sensible enough to know this.”

As at January 17, 94.7% of Cairns local government area residents 15 and over have received a first dose of the vaccine, with a second dose rate of 91.1%.

“The Covid-19 vaccines are proven to be safe and effective,” the spokesperson said.

“They have been through a rigorous review process by the TGA.

“What isn’t safe is the misinformation being peddled by anti-vaxxers.”

A large crowd up to 1500 people attended the Worldwide Rally for Freedom north of Muddy's Playground, before marching down the Esplanade and through the Cairns CBD. Protesters march past La Pizza alfresco restaurant on Aplin Street. Picture: Brendan Radke

Sylvia and Noel Huxham made the trip to Cairns from Innisfail on Saturday to also take part in the rally.

They said they’d been to all the marches since the first one in August 2021 and were there to “support each other and make a statement”.

Mr Huxham said the whole response to Covid-19 should be “squashed, ceased”.

“It’s no different than the flu,” he said.

Queensland's Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard said on Saturday there had been about 250,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Queensland since the domestic borers opened – though the real number was substantially greater than that and likely to be closer to one million.

He said the average age for an unvaccinated person in Queensland hospitals was about 20 years younger than those who were vaccinated and hospitalised for Covid-19, at about 39 years old.

A large crowd up to 1500 people attended the Worldwide Rally for Freedom north of Muddy's Playground, before marching down the Esplanade and through the Cairns CBD. Picture: Brendan Radke

On Friday, the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service announced the region had recorded its first Covid-19 death – an unvaccinated elderly patient.

In a live stream to Facebook, Jade Falvo said she was proud of the turnout at Saturday’s rally.

“We were told by the police that we weren’t allowed to go out on the road but we don’t like to be told what to do, so there was a big crew – not endorsed obviously by the organisers – of people took it upon themselves and yeah we did cause a little bit of chaos so that made me pretty proud actually,” she said.

A large crowd up to 1500 people attended the Worldwide Rally for Freedom north of Muddy's Playground, before marching down the Esplanade and through the Cairns CBD. Picture: Brendan Radke

Originally published as Hundreds march on Cairns CBD as part of freedom rally against vaccine mandates