The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked protests throughout the world, and the riots due to the lockdown in Sydney are another example of this fact. On Saturday, Sydney and Melbourne were epicenters of violence and riots because citizens are not happy with the country’s lockdown orders.
Thousands of people flooded the streets with a rage of violence that the nation has never seen. The massive police presence did little to stop the people from protesting for their freedom.
Details of the Riots due to Lockdown in Sydney
The videos that surfaced from the riots over lockdowns in Sydney revealed waves of people attacking police and causing damage in the city. There was an estimate that 15,000 people were in the streets of Sydney scaling buildings and swarming multiple buildings.
This demonstration appeared to be part of a worldwide rally for freedom. Many countries are still locked down because of the Delta variant, and the world is tired of limited rights. Rioters attacked police, and this did not go well because authorities fought back and detained multiple people.
A pot of plants was thrown at officers in the city as attackers screamed, “New South Wales” repetitively. There were some people wearing masks amongst the crowd, and they were targets of protestors.
In nearby Brisbane, similar scenes emerged as just under 8,000 demonstrators were seen in the streets. The government’s response to lockdown has not been favorable over a year after the pandemic.
The government wanted to keep everyone inside, but the orders have done the complete opposite in the country’s major cities. The majority of the arrests in Sydney occurred in the town hall area. The police are being criticized for brutality at the moment, but they were targets of rioters.
Amy Thomas is a resident of the Sydney area who witnessed the alleged police brutality from a first-hand perspective.
She said, “Stepped outside my house in Chippendale 5 mins ago to see some intense police brutality, assuming this is an anti-lockdown protest that police diverted from Broadway. It’s not a cause I support, but the license that officers were taking here is something that concerns me. I saw several arrests and open threats from officers to ‘get people.’”
Government Supports the Police
There has been a brief spike in Australia for COVID-19 cases, but numbers are not close to the peak in August. There have been 32,755 cases and 916 deaths in Australia, so residents believe the government is overreacting.
The government’s ruling put the police in a difficult situation. The authorities were riding horses around the city, combatting the riots. There were countless fights between cops and citizens, which caused the government to be “utterly disgusted” in Sydney.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian spoke out after the riots were contained. She said, “I am utterly disgusted by the illegal protestors in the City today whose selfish actions have compromised the safety of all of us. The protestors have shown utter contempt for their fellow citizens who are currently doing it tough.”
She also went onto say how thankful she is for the police to handle the situation as swiftly as possible. People are complaining about police brutality, but the government fully supports the authorities, which is unlikely.
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