Police to put ring of steel around Melbourne CBD to stop lockdown protest

Anti-lockdown activists say they will change the location of a planned protest in Melbourne as police put a ring of steel around the CBD.

Anti-lockdown protesters plan to keep police on their toes ahead of a planned rally on Saturday, which will shut down Melbourne’s public transport network.

Organisers on Friday afternoon announced they would change the locations of Saturday’s midday protest from the CBD to somewhere else.

“With all Victorians’ best interests in mind, we will be announcing a new location,” event organisers said on an encrypted thread.

The new location will be announced on Saturday morning.

A group of hardcore protesters had earlier vowed to defy police efforts to shut down the city protest.

Roadblocks will be set up around the city and Melbourne’s public transport network halted in a bid to keep thousands of protesters from storming the CBD, disregarding lockdown restrictions.

Officers have also been given sweeping powers to pull over and inspect cars and search people in the city.

The massive crackdown has not deterred Melbourne’s most hardcore protesters, who have hatched cunning plans to try enter the CBD unnoticed.

Police face off against anti-lockdown protesters outside Flinders Street station. Picture: Ian Currie

Some had planned to enter by blending in with people strolling along the Yarra River or use bikes and scooters to navigate in via less busy paths and laneways.

Others planned to book accommodation the night before using essential worker’s permits. “(The) march will never been cancelled or postponed. Do not be deterred by this scare campaign,” protest organisers wrote.

The sweeping shutdown of the public transport network will result in trains, trams and buses into the CBD being halted between 8am and 2pm. 

Trains will be stopping at suburban stations as far away as Caulfield, Sunshine, Newport and Coburg in a desperate bid to thwart protesters getting into the city.

Tram and bus services will also finish at stops well before the city, while some routes will not run at all. 

In what will be Victoria Police’s biggest operation in 20 years, barricades, traffic blocks and roving police patrols will also surround the CBD to lock out protesters, who the already plotting to sneak in.

“This is the biggest game in town for us, to stop this occurring,” Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said.

“We will have over 2000 police involved in this. It’s a significant operation and a huge demand on resources.”

About 20 police stations will be closed to the public as uniform officers are pulled away for the major protest operation.

Commuters have also been warned of “major road closures” on thoroughfares into the CBD, as well as “significant delays”.

“Access will only be granted at roadblocks to those travelling for essential work, healthcare or to attend a vaccination appointment.

“Those conducting authorised travel are urged to allow plenty of extra time for their journeys and must carry identification and proof of their reason for travel such as an authorised worker permit, or vaccination booking confirmation.”

The department said services will resume from 2pm, however it expects it will take some time to resume the regular timetable.

“We understand that this will be inconvenient and will cause disruption to a large number of people,” the statement read.

“However, the health and safety of the Victorian community is paramount, so we ask people to do the right thing and only travel for the permitted reasons.”

Police were forced to use non-lethal bullets to quell an illegal protest on August 21. Picture: David Crosling

The radical move follows a series of increasingly violent anti-lockdown protests, including last month’s rally where demonstrators charged at police and pelted them with beer bottles and marbles.

Hardcore splinter groups came armed with weapons including batons. Nine assaulted officers got hospital treatment.

Police vehicles were also smashed and covered in far-right propaganda material.

The blockade announcement on Wednesday infuriated anti-lockdown radicals, with some scheming how to congregate anyway.

Correspondence seen by the Herald Sun shows protest organisers encouraging people to use their essential worker permits to secure hotel accommodation ahead of the citywide shutdown.

One organiser on the encrypted app Telegram went as far as urging hardcore demonstrators to pose as domestic violence victims to book hotel rooms days before the rally.

Others vowed to hire vans and buses to transport groups of protesters into the city. “The hardcore will find a way,” one said. “We must rise up this weekend.”

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton says police will try to stop people attending the protest. Picture: David Geraghty

Airbnb sent warnings to hosts whose CBD properties had been booked on Saturday, urging them to ensure the booking complied with the state’s health orders.

Mr Patton warned anyone without a lawful reason to be in the CBD on Saturday would get a $5452 fine.

“We didn’t take this lightly but given the circumstances and where we are with Covid, we cannot afford to allow transmission to occur,” he said.

Taxis and Ubers will also be checked to ensure passengers have a lawful reason to enter the CBD.

Mr Patton said police officers would travel on trains to ensure passengers disembarking were lawfully entitled to be out and about and were not coming into the city to protest.

Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp urged “selfish” protesters to avoid the city on Saturday and said the council was working with police on the lockout plans.

“It’s beyond disappointing and upsetting to hear that people are planning to disobey public health orders and protest this weekend,” Cr Capp said.

“Council is working closely with Victoria Police and city businesses in the lead-up to this weekend’s protest.

“It is particularly frustrating for our small businesses who are still open in the CBD doing takeaway, home delivery and click and collect, who will have to endure yet another barrier to trading this weekend.”

Police have warned protesters to stay away from Melbourne’s CBD. Picture: David Crosling

Saturday’s planned protest has been billed by organisers as a “worldwide rally for freedom” and is being held at cities across the country.

It comes just weeks after Mr Patton labelled an August 21 anti-lockdown protest in Melbourne’s CBD one of the most violent demonstrations police had seen in the past 20 years.

He described Victoria as “the protesting capital of the world”.

Specialist police, who were dressed in full riot gear and carrying ballistic shields, were forced to fire pepper-ball rounds on the crowd after they charged officers and burst through the police line.

About 4000 people attended the August 21 protest. Picture: AFP

More than 4000 protesters attended that event, which resulted in nine police officers being hospitalised due to injuries sustained at the rally.

Vocal anti-vaxxer and Covid-19 lockdown critic Monica Smit remains in custody after refusing to sign her own bail release conditions when she appeared in court charged with incitement in relation to the August 21 protest during Victoria’s sixth lockdown.

Mr Patton said he hoped that police didn’t have to use crowd control equipment, such as capsicum spray and pepper bullets, this Saturday, but they would have all nonlethal options available to them “if necessary” to quell any violence.