Invasion Day rally volunteers to be trained in police confrontation, told to use fake names when signing in

The organisers of a Melbourne Invasion Day rally are providing training for volunteer marshals in how to deal with police confrontation.

Organisers of Melbourne’s Invasion Day rally are providing training in how to deal with confrontations with police, fascists and ‘organised racists’.

Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance said it was running training sessions for its volunteer marshals on Saturday and on the morning of the January 26 protest.

The group has been recruiting people to be crowd marshals in charge of ‘controlling confrontation points and maintaining covid-safe rules’.

Volunteers were encouraged not to use their real name and instead use a pseudonym when they sign up as marshals.

More than 5000 Facebook users have clicked attending or ‘interested in’ the Melbourne rally at 10.30am on the steps of Parliament House.

It comes amid warnings from police that attendees who don’t comply with social distancing rules could be fined $1652.

Premier Daniel Andrews discouraged people from going to protests.

“This will be a different Australia Day because we’re in the midst of a global pandemic,” he said.

“This is not a commentary on what people might be protesting about but it’s no time to be protesting.”

A separate rally, dubbed People’s Australia Day Parade, was being planned by a group of anti-lockdown protesters to take place at Queen Victoria Gardens in Kings Domain, St Kilda Rd.