Following the controversial arrest of a pregnant woman over a Facebook post, police in Australia defended the move and said they had also paid home visits to over 80 other people warning them they will also be arrested if they attend anti-lockdown protests.
28-year-old Zoe Buhler was handcuffed and arrested in her Ballarat home in front of her children yesterday because she used Facebook to organise a ‘freedom day’ anti-lockdown protest in her home town. Buhler was simply exercising what she thought was her right to free speech under Australian law, but the authorities have given themselves sweeping new powers that includes the right to arrest and detain anyone who questions their lockdown policies. Authorities claimed they were “satisfied” that police had acted reasonably and Buhler was charged with 'incitement' for daring to have an opinion.
However, the president of the Victorian Bar, Wendy Harris QC, said she was concerned about the arrest: “In the case of Ms Buhler, who was arrested and handcuffed in her home in front of her partner and children, the Bar is concerned that the enforcement action of the police appeared disproportionate to the threat she presented,” she said.
“The Victorian Bar is concerned that the enforcement response to Ms Buhler’s conduct is apparently at odds with other reported and more measured responses by authorities to organisers or promoters of similar protests planned or carried out in contravention of public health directives.” Harris was likely referring to Black Lives Matter protests, which haven’t been met with the same consequences. Clearly the Australian government do not see BLM as challenging their authority, whereas anyone directly challenging the government themselves are targeted by a politicised police force who are sent in to arrest the 'troublemakers' in the same way China deals with it's dissenters.
Authorities responded by absurdly claiming that BLM had been allowed to organise protests because they had promised police they would maintain groups of no more than 10 people spaced 100 meters apart, something which clearly didn’t happen.
Police commissioner Luke Cornelius, seemingly happy with his officers being used as political tools like some Aussie version of the STAZI, also revealed that officers had visited more than 80 people in the state of Victoria warning them they will be arrested if they attend any anti-lockdown protests this weekend. “If you do take the selfish option and leave home to protest, we’ll be ready for you,” said Cornelius.
“We have hundreds of police ready to respond, including our general duties and specialist police, such as the public order response unit, mounted branch and the highway patrol. They’ve all been rostered and will be deployed to support this operation.”
However, Australia is not the only country whose authorities are arresting anyone questioning the government as Britain too has become an authoritarian state. Piers Corbyn, speaking at an anti-mask rally in London on Saturday, was arrested by police moments after his speech began revealing disturbing facts about the forthcoming Covid Vaccine. Corbyn had communicated with the police prior to the protest and they had given permission for it to go ahead. On the day itself he spoke to the local bobbies who had been dispatched to police the event and they were also happy for it to go ahead. It appears that the arrest was done by, in the words of Piers Corbyn himself: "other police". These were not the local bobbies but a snatch squad who had been sent in with orders from 'on-high' to arrest Corbyn before he was able to complete his speech.