Melbourne anti-lockdown protest over in minutes

It was touted by organisers as “the big one” – but today‘s anti-lockdown protest in Melbourne’s Chadstone mall was something of a fizzer.

It was touted by organisers as “the big one” – but today‘s anti-lockdown protest in Melbourne’s Chadstone mall was something of a fizzer.

Dozens of protesters gathered at 1pm near Coles at the shopping centre and sang John Farnham‘s You're the Voice before quickly dispersing – but bizarrely, it is still being claimed as a “victory” by participants.

According to the Herald Sun, organisers said police had been “caught completely off-guard“ by the flash mob.

“We were able to get in and out in about 50 minutes with so far no known arrests or fines,” an organiser said.

“However Victoria Police spent many hundreds of thousands of dollars on PORT (Public Order Response Team) for today. We consider it their fine for opposing our freedom.

“We’re going to relish in this victory.“

The location had been kept secret until half an hour beforehand in a bid to evade police.

By the time five Public Order Response vans arrived at the shopping centre at around 1.15pm, the crowd had vanished.

The rally has been widely mocked on social media, where it has been described as “the worst protest ever”.

The flash mob was then ordered to gather at Footscray Market, which is closed on Sundays.