Tens of thousands of people are either attending or interested in a 'Freedom Day' protest in Victoria.
A coronavirus coronavirus theorist has amassed an army of online followers and hopes to get as many people as possible to rally in the state next weekend. According to News Corp, 35,000 have clicked attending on the Facebook group and a further 23,000 are interested.
It's all to protest against the Stage 4 restrictions implemented in Melbourne to stem the outbreak of coronavirus infections, as well as the State of Emergency declared in Victoria.
The event description says: "The Andrews government must be made accountable for overseeing the biggest public health disaster in Australian history. 500,000 Australians shall declare the END of the state of emergency.
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"Dan Andrews - Get out of our lives. We can manage our own wellbeing."
It's worth pointing out that these restrictions have been instrumental in helping stop the second wave of infections from getting worse. Residents have been required to stay in their homes for as long as possible and only leave for an essential reason.
The protest is listed for September 5 and the locations will be broadcast on the day. There are other events planned around Australia however they only have a few dozen people planning on going.
Attendees have been told to wear Guy Fawkes masks, made popular in the V for Vendetta film that shows an uprising of citizens against tyranny and authoritarianism.
Introducing restrictions that are designed to stop people dying and becoming sick are hardly measures that could be even remotely linked to that - but some people are really angry that their livelihoods have changed.
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One of the organisers, former reality TV stars Fanos Panayides, said in a video to followers that the event will be peaceful.
"You're either going to be there and show your support, or not," he said. "You should want to go there because of the circumstances of this country. You should want to go there because your freedoms have been stripped away one by one until there's nothing left."
Victoria Police said it will monitor the situation and won't hesitate to arrest anyone who is caught breaking the current rules.
Premier Daniel Andrews said he was dismayed to see and hear of people who still thought his administration's attempts to control the pandemic outbreak were anything nefarious.
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"It's fundamentally wrong, irresponsible and unsafe for people to be protesting," he told reporters. "I would urge them and those close to them not to do that.
"That just doesn't make any sense, that could just fritter away so much of the good work that we've done."
Featured Image Credit: PA