Anti-lockdown protesters take to the streets of Dandenong for another night
Dozens of police are once again out in force to deter large groups of anti-lockdown protestors in Dandenong — as one of Melbourne’s top cops is urging the ‘boofhead’ crowds to “stop playing us like fools”.
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Dozens of police are once again out in force as large groups of protestors march against anti-lockdown laws in Dandenong.
The Herald Sun saw police question several people on the Dandenong Creek Trail, who shouted at officers when being stopped.
When stopped by police, one man shouted: “I’m a grandfather on my walk, I don’t need this s**t,” he said.
Another man being questioned told police
they needed to stop “harassing” “innocent walkers on the trail.
“This needs to stop, where is our freedom,” he said.
It’s understood larger crowded are expected tonight compared to previous nights.
A man, 23, who asked not be named, said he just wanted to come out for his walk and be “left alone”.
“Police need to leave us alone. As soon as we walk out of our house, we’re stopped by them,” he said.
“The whole Albanian community has been harassed, just let us be.”
It comes as one of Melbourne’s top cops is urging protesters to “stop playing us like fools”, warning police will be out in Dandenong in force on Friday night and over the weekend.
Police have been patrolling in the southeast Melbourne suburb during a week of lockdown protests, clashing with the group about 5.20pm on Wednesday while threatening protesters with pepper spray as 100 swamped Kirkham Rd and surrounding streets.
Dozens of police have descended in the suburb on Thursday night, where a reoccurring anti-lockdown protest was expected, but numbers weren’t as large as the previous night.
North West Metro Region Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius urged the protest group to “stop playing us like fools” and to stick to the restrictions.
“Please don’t try to dress your behaviour as exercise — we all know it is not,” he said.
“By all means leave your home for exercise, but don’t try and dress that up, when the real reason you are leaving home is so you can wander down the street with a bunch of other boofheads. We are not idiots and Victorians are not idiots. Just stop it.”
Mr Cornelius urged the group to stop thinking about themselves and to reflect on how they could best stop more death, grief and harm in the community.
“Stop playing us and the wider community for fools,” he said.
“You are exposing everyone to danger, you’re in breach, and you will be fined.
“All this activity is doing is wasting police resources and exposing us all to the further spread of the virus.”
ANTI-LOCKDOWN PROTESTERS TAKE TO DANDENONG STREETS AGAIN
A small group of people were seen walking together and live-streaming on Facebook along Kirkham Rd, Dandenong, on Thursday but crowds weren’t as large as previous nights.
The Leader also saw people being stopped and questioned by police.
It’s unclear if any arrests were made.
Nearby residents were once again seen hurling abuse at police, with one man telling police to “Get the f*** out of his street”.
A group of young teens were also seen shouting the “coronavirus pandemic was fake”.
Another said “Victoria Police were making unlawful arrests”.
The group also took aim at Premier Daniel Andrews.
“Dan Andrews is stupid and manipulating everyone,” the teen said
One man, 25, who asked not to be named, told the Herald Sun he would be out every night to walk at 5pm.
“I’ll be back again tomorrow night, it’s our legal right to exercise. The police are only making this situation worse,” he said.
It comes after a local councillor defended the actions of the anti-lockdown protesters who marched on Wednesday.
Police clashed with the group about 5.20pm on Wednesday, threatening protesters with pepper spray as 100 swamped Kirkham Rd and surrounding streets.
Councillor Tim Dark said residents should be able to go about and “do their business” as long as they follow the rules.
“If residents are going out for their one hour of exercise at 5pm, then so be it. As long as they’re not going beyond 5km and wearing masks then they haven’t broken any rules,” Cr Dark said.
“They are completely in their rights to do what they’re doing.”
Cr Dark said the heavy police presence was an “over-reaction”.
“The people seen on the footage were following the rules … I believe the retaliation of the community was a result of the significant police presence.”
During the brief showdown in the middle of the road, police held up pepper spray canisters and ordered the group to move on.
A roadblock was temporarily set up at the corner of Kirkham Rd and Langley Crescent.
Members of the group said they weren’t doing anything wrong and had not organised a protest but were simply out exercising.
The Leader saw dozens of attendees taunt police and hurl abuse at them.
One man was seen saying: “You f---ing dog, get a real job”.
He was then stopped by police and questioned on the spot.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said police issued nine fines and arrested four men during a protest at the George Andrews Reserve.
The men, all from Dandenong, were arrested after failing to provide identification for breaching the Chief Health Officer’s directions.
A 28-year-old was charged with assaulting and resisting police, failing to state his name and address and breaching the Chief Health Officer’s directions.
A 19-year-old was charged with using threatening words, failing to state his name and address and breaching the chief health officer directions.
A 22-year-old was charged with failing to state his name and address and breaching the Chief Health Officer’s directions.
All three were released pending summons.
A 43-year-old man was charged with failing to state his name and address and breaching the Chief Health Officer’s directions.
He was bailed to appear before Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on December 11.
Police said the protest was still under investigation and would consider issuing penalty notices for anyone else found to be in breach of Victoria’s coronavirus restrictions.
Wednesday’s event followed similar meet-ups on Monday and Tuesday, which resulted in multiple arrests and fines.
Victoria Police said it was aware of “a recurring protest which is scheduled to take place at the George Andrews Reserve in Dandenong each afternoon”.
During Monday’s meet-up, 11 people were issued $1652 fines for breaching the Chief Health Officer’s directions.
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