A man has been seen waving a pro-Donald Trump flag at Melbourne's huge anti-vaccine protest.
The bloke, who was dressed in high-vis gear, was one of hundreds of people who took to the streets today (September 21) to rally against the state government.
Demonstrators have upped the ante from yesterday's protest and amassed a larger group to march to the Melbourne office of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union.
They were met with a long line of police officers, and, after a 90-minute standoff with cops, the massive horde of protestors walked down LaTrobe Street towards Parliament House.
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On the way there, they lit flares, set off fireworks and chanted 'f**k' the jab and directed the call of 'you serve us' to police officers.
Police eventually fired tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowds to disperse them. The organisers of the event have vowed to keep protesting until their demands are met.
The construction industry has been shut down for two weeks because there have been loads of tradies contracting Covid-19.
In an effort to combat the trend, state government officials want tradies to prove they've received at least one dose of the vaccine and tearooms will be shut down to prevent possible ransmission.
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Daniel Andrews released a statement confirming worksites in Melbourne, Geelong, the Surf Coast, Ballarat and the Mitchell Shire would be closed as of 11:59pm Monday (September 20).
If the regional areas come out of lockdown before the 14 days then worksites in those areas will be permitted to reopen.
"The immediate shut down action is being taken to reduce movement, minimise transmission and allow for the entire industry to appropriately adapt to the chief health officer directions, including increasing vaccination rates," the Premier said.
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The drastic move to shut own the industry also comes after violent protests erupted yesterday outside the headquarters of the CFMEU office.
Doors and windows were smashed as people protested against the state government's plans.
CFMEU boss Dave Noonan told ABC radio he was shocked by what happened.
"Today's activities by the extremists and the people who are being manipulated by the extremists don't really help when you're trying to persuade the health authorities to keep the industry working under Covid-safe conditions," he said.
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"We never want to see the industry shut because it hurts people economically.
"We would appeal to those people who may have had their real, legitimate concerns and fears manipulated by those people to think carefully about whether attacking other construction workers and our offices is really something that is consistent with saying that you care about health and safety.
"It's not, it's a disgraceful thing to do, and they should walk away from those extremists who have got no interest in our industry, no interest in our values and communities.
"They should disown them and have nothing to do with them, because they're only going to bring ruin to our industry."
Featured Image Credit: 7NewsTopics: Australia
