In Australia, the Far Right Is Pushing COVID-19 Conspiracies
Last weekend, thousands of anti-vaxxers and COVID denialists marched across Australia to protest pandemic restrictions. A core of far-right activists were at the center of the action.
An anti-lockdown protester shouts slogans during a rally on the streets of Melbourne on July 24, 2021, as people gathered to demonstrate against the city’s COVID restrictions. (CON CHRONIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Last weekend, remarkably, large crowds attended COVID conspiracist rallies around Australia.
Politicians and the mainstream press condemned the protests, rightfully denouncing them as dangerous both to the participants and the community. The authorities went to extraordinary lengths to disrupt the marchers, in some places closing train stations and banning taxis and ride-share services.
Despite this, in Melbourne, perhaps four thousand people took to the streets for an illegal protest, risking arrest, repression, fines, and potentially charges. Especially given the circumstances under which the rallies were organized, the Left should be worried.
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