Covid vaccine ‘truth tellers’ asked to leave Colley Reserve at Glenelg after permit issues

The Mayor said she called police because locals did not want want “anti-vaxxers and sovereign citizens” scaring people during the busy summer period.

Covid vaccine “truth tellers” have been told by police to leave a popular Glenelg reserve after a call from the local mayor.

The protesters had planted 450 stakes in the grass at Colley Reserve that they said paid tribute to “all the people who were injured or died after the (Covid) vaccine”.

Hundreds of beach goers stopped at what the protesters called an “art installation … that gives a voice to the people (affected by the vaccine)” before police ordered them to leave.

Organiser, Loraine, who did not want to give her full name, said she felt the group “achieved” its objective despite being shut down.

Amanda Wilson, Glenelg mayor, Picture: Supplied

Holdfast Bay Mayor Amanda Wilson said she supported the democratic right to protest, “provided it does not become harassment and is not done in a manner that distresses residents, businesses and visitors to the Bay”.

“I was told by the group that they did not have a permit as it was an art installation,” she said.

“I told them that it wasn’t an art installation and one in Colley Reserve requires a permit anyway.

“I called the police because I didn’t want anti-vaxxers and sovereign citizens harassing and scaring people during our busy summer period,” she told The Advertiser.

Other organisers who did not give their names told The Advertiser they were not trying to break any rules.

“We had the intentions to do the right thing,” they said.

Around 450 signs were planted in the grass with images of people claiming to have been injured or had died after taking the Covid vaccine before police told the group of about 15 to leave.

Each stake told a story of someone who claims to have been affected by the vaccine or that a loved one was affected. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Organisers said they were not “anti-vaxxers” but rather against the Covid vaccine specifically as it was “experimental”.

“It’s a label and it’s deliberate,” they said “it makes it us against them”.

Police were in attendance.

“The organisers advised police they did not have a permit to protest and removed signs they had put in the grass when asked to do so,” a police spokesperson said.

“There was no damage to the lawns and the protesters left the area without incident.”

Originally published as Covid vaccine ‘truth tellers’ asked to leave Colley Reserve at Glenelg after permit issues