COVID protesters march through city

ABOUT five-thousand protesters rallied and marched through Ballarat last Sunday claiming to evoke the memory of the Eureka Rebellion.

Attendees were variously anti vaccinations, anti lockdowns and restrictions, and against the State Government’s pandemic laws, Premier Daniel Andrews, the established political system as well as many other things.

After gathering at Civic Hall for speakers the protesters marched down Armstrong Street to Sturt Street where they headed through the Bridge Mall and to the Bakery Hill roundabout, where they stopped to take the “oath of Eureka.”

From there the group went onto the space beside the Ballarat Skate Park for more speakers and music.

There were no signs of trouble on what was a peaceful march, although some protesters did chant profanities over megaphones for part of their journey.

While some businesses in the CBD did close for the day, or part of it, many others remained open and traded through the protests.

Craig Kelly, a Federal New South Wales MP and now member of Clive Palmers United Australia Party tried to link current COVID-19 proof of vaccination requirements to the Eureka Rebellion.

“A hundred and sixty-seven years ago a small group of Australians stood against tyranny,” he said.

“What they were ultimately standing against was a requirement that you had a piece of paper in your pocket to contribute to society.

“That you couldn’t work unless you had a piece of paper issued by the government, called a mining licence.”

Other anti-COVID measures were advanced by attendee Paul Harper.

He said he was from Ballarat and agreed with many of the issues being raised at the protest.

He noted he’d chosen not to wear a mask and when asked about vaccinations said, “I won’t tell you about my vaccine status. That’s my own private information.”

Like others at the event, Mr Harper’s reason for attending went beyond opposition to COVID-19 related laws and issues.

“The whole reason for Daniel Andrews behaviour over the last 18 months is… to cover up his incompetence with health care over the last 15 years,” Mr Harper said.

“The only reason we have to wear these ridiculous restrictions is because his hospital system can’t cope with it.”

A statement released a day before the event by Ballarat Alliance, a local progressive lobby group, denounced the protesters.

“The Ballarat Community Alliance condemns the far right anti-vaxx conspiracy rally on Sunday,” the statement said. “They don’t represent Ballarat.

“We are disgusted that they are using the memory of the Eureka stockade to further their far-right cause and dangerous misinformation.

“Ballarat has one of the highest vaccination rates in Australia. It’s currently at over 95 percent of residents aged 15 and over and each day that’s steadily climbing.

“We care for each other in Ballarat which is why the vast majority have acted with empathy looking after our friends, family and community by social distancing, wearing masks and getting vaccinated.”

There was a heavy police presence throughout the event including use of a helicopter and highway patrol units, with some officers drafted in from outside of the city.

The police commander of the event was unwilling to make an estimate about attendance numbers and no media statement was released after the event advising of unrest or arrests that had taken place.