Sharjah24 – Reuters: Police fanned out across the centre of Australia's second-largest city of Melbourne on Wednesday in a bid to keep a lid on a third day of protests over COVID-19 lockdown curbs, as the state of Victoria recorded another rise in infections.
Police made more than 60 arrests on Tuesday after more than 2,000 protesters damaged property, blocked a busy freeway and injured three police after authorities shut construction sites for two weeks to limit the spread of the disease.
Protesters again gathered in groups roaming across city streets on Wednesday despite pleas for them to remain home, but largely avoided clashes with busloads of police, while state police chief Shane Patton vowed to prevent more violence.
By early afternoon, television footage showed several hundred protesters had gathered at the Shrine of Remembrance, a memorial near the city centre honouring service in war, under the watch of police.
The protests followed a decision by authorities to make vaccines mandatory for construction workers and to enforce the closure of building sites from Tuesday, citing non-compliance with health rules.
Authorities and union officials have said extremist and far-right groups had joined the protest.
"There were some people there who you would say were from the building industry. There were others who were not ... they are not there to protest, they are there for a fight, pretend to be protesting," said the state's premier, Daniel Andrews.
Protesters have refused to speak to reporters on the scene, chanting "fake news" when approached, media said.
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