Dandenong anti-lockdown protest organiser Jemal Abazi arrested on Facebook
The organiser of Melbourne’s ongoing anti-lockdown protest has filmed a bizarre rant on Facebook Live before he appears to be arrested.
The organiser of an ongoing anti-lockdown protest in Dandenong appears to have been arrested by police in his own Facebook Live video.
Jemal Abazi was filming on Facebook Live on Monday which shows him passing the camera over to another person while interacting with police before he appears to be arrested in the vision.
A police officer is heard telling him he is charged with incitement in the video.
About 4.50pm on Monday Mr Abazi began filming a Facebook Live video of himself walking around Dandenong where he is seen without a mask on, in defiance of lockdown orders.
The video had more than 215,000 views on Saturday night.
“We’re going to the local park – and doing our exercises – and we have a lot of police there waiting for us,” he says in the vision.
“Why they’re wasting the taxpayers money is beyond any recognition whatsoever.
“People need to wake up. Please share, and let’s see what happens.”
He said he wanted to “see what attitude, this time, they’ve got” in regards to police. He also criticised “Dictator Dan and his gangster mates – gangster police officers”.
He said the “good ones” in the police force need to “wake up”.
Mr Abazi said police should “go and arrest the paedophiles”.
“We’ve got rapists and paedophiles and everything – they (police) are not doing their job, they protect them,” he said.
He arrived at George Andrews Reserve, the site of an alleged ongoing protest, about halfway through the 14-minute video, where he is approached by police and asked why he isn’t wearing a mask.
Mr Abazi handed his phone to another person while he interacted with the police officers.
He then walked around the reserve theatrically counting police cars while the police officer checked his ID.
“Do you agree with what’s going on at the moment? Honest opinion,” he asked the police officer.
“Yes,” the officer replied.
He asked the police officer if he’s “done the research” and said “the statistics are exactly the same” several times.
On his filmed walk Mr Abazi repeatedly said, “What are they gonna do?”
“What are they gonna do, stop me?” he said. “They can’t stop me going for my exercise.”
He was then arrested and charged with incitement.
The person filming said “Give the guy a fair go” to the police officers as they emptied his pockets and helped him into the back of the van.
In the next video about 10.30pm on Monday, only 30-seconds long, Mr Abazi appeared shaken but said, “This is just a quick one because there’s that many phone calls, people ringing, ringing, ringing – but I’m out, everything’s fine.”
“They’ve laid all these charges, whatever, whatever, I don’t even understand any of it,” he said.
His next video, 30 minutes long, was uploaded on Tuesday afternoon, and features Mr Abazi reading his charges and bail conditions to the camera as well as holding up his $1600 fine.
He said, “How can people listen to that stupidity?” in reference to Daniel Andrews’ reading the daily number of deaths from COVID-19 in press conferences.
“They’re going to die,” he said. “A lot of them are in palliative care.”
“Do your research.
“To destroy the world for a virus is insane.
“The planning has been in place for a long time.”
He discussed “laboratories” which were “creating viruses”.
“Why do these smart people want to make these kinds of weapons?” he said.
“We can’t make these type of weapons. Who does then? The smart people. The scientists, the doctors – not me and you.”
He then went on to explain that he was “financially very well” and “my business is doing very well”, saying that, “I have a lot of wealthy friends”, and that he “helped people in need”.
“Mentally, I’m extremely stable,” he said.
When asked to confirm the video a police spokesman said: “Victoria Police is aware of a recurring protest which is scheduled to take place at the George Andrews Reserve in Dandenong each afternoon.
“On August 24 police issued 11 fines to people who attended the protest and arrested two men.
“A 48-year-old Dandenong man was arrested at the scene and has been charged with incitement and breaching the Chief Health Officer’s directions.”
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