Source: 9news
The Melbourne CBD will be locked down on Saturday and all public transport services diverted away from the city, as police seek to prevent people gathering for a planned protest against the COVID-19 lockdown.
The decision comes after up to 4000 to 5000 people attended an illegal protest in the city on August 21, which police dubbed the city’s most violent in 20 years, leading to 21 officers being injured.
Victoria Police will lockdown the CBD between 8am and 2pm on Saturday to stop people convening and creating a COVID-19 “super-spreader event”.
“We will be doing everything we can to prevent access to the city,” Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said.”This is not a place where anyone should be coming.”You cannot come in.”
All public transport services to the CBD will be suspended between 8am and 2pm.
“Buses will bypass the city, any trams will be stopped before the city… and trains will not come into the city during that period of time,” Commissioner Patton said.
Hard barriers will also be set up at key access points.
The Chief Commissioner said police’s efforts to stop the protest would be one of the largest operations they had run in years, using up to 2000 officers.
He said there would be a significant number of officers in the city to deal with people who did manage to make it in and that they would be ready to issue $5450 fines.
The Chief Commissioner acknowledged there would be an inconvenience to some members of the public.
“We didn’t take this decision lightly,” he said.He said the move was considered before the last protest, and that this protest risked being attended by similar numbers.
The Chief Commissioner said police’s efforts to stop the protest would be one of the largest operations they had run in years, using up to 2000 officers.
He said there would be a significant number of officers in the city to deal with people who did manage to make it in and that they would be ready to issue $5450 fines.
The Chief Commissioner acknowledged there would be an inconvenience to some members of the public.
“We didn’t take this decision lightly,” he said.
He said the move was considered before the last protest, and that this protest risked being attended by similar numbers.
Commissioner Patton said the risk of transmission at a protest was “exacerbated significantly” due to the Delta strain.
He said police would be prepared to use force, but hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
“We are planning for the worst and hoping for the best,” Commissioner Patton said.
