Hundreds of people from across Australia have arrived in Canberra this week to protest vaccine mandates and COVID restrictions.
Inspired by recent protests in Canada, the ‘Convoy to Canberra’ saw truckies from Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia all making the trip to Parliament House.
Many others impacted by the mandates and restrictions also joined the convoy, with cars and motorcycles seen making the trek.
The first of the convoys arrived yesterday, 31 January, with videos posted to Twitter showing a number of vehicles heading towards Parliament House.
Australian Federal Police were on hand to defend the doors of Parliament House as hundreds of protesters moved towards the entrance.
A large group have also gathered at the National Press Club in Barton today, 1 February, where Prime Minister Scott Morrison is speaking.
The Canberra Times reported that the crowd were heard chanting “No more mandates” and “Arrest ScoMo” as Morrison addressed the Press Club.
Protesters were seen holding signs saying ‘Give Aussies a choice’, ‘Coercion is not consent’ and ‘We say no to totalitarianism’ with a large police presence in the area.
The ‘2022 Official Convoy to Canberra’ Facebook page has gained over 160,000 followers since being created on 25 January, while a GoFundMe has raised over $175,000. The money won’t be accessible until more details about how it will be spent are made available, according to GoFundMe.
The Canberra convoy were inspired by the recent events in Canada where thousands of truck drivers have driven to Ottawa to peacefully protest mandates and harsh restrictions. The nation-wide protests have gained plenty of traction across social media with influential billionaire Elon Musk praising the truck drivers.
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the end of COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions in England last week as Britain looks to live with the virus. Mandates for health care workers are also set to be revoked after serious backlash against the rules that would have seen over 70,000 workers out of a job.
Ireland, Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands have also recently started to ease restrictions and vaccine mandates.
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