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RUBY:

From Schwartz Media, I’m Ruby Jones, this is 7am.

Last weekend, thousands of people marched across Australia to protest against lockdowns.

Officially, the rallies were called ‘Marches for Freedom’,but attendees represented a wide cross-section of the community, from anti-vaxxers, to conspiracy theorists, and the far-right.

But the sheer size of the protests suggests that the anti-lockdown movement might also be crossing over into the political mainstream.

Today, journalist and disinformation researcher at the Australian Strategic Policy institute, Ariel Bogle, on the different groups behind these marches, why they’re growing, and the Australian politicians trying to capitalise on lockdown discontent.

It’s Thursday, July 29.

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RUBY:

Ariel, we saw so called ‘Freedom Rallies’ take place across Australia over the weekend. They drew a lot of attention, but this isn’t the first time we’ve seen protests against lockdowns during this pandemic, is it?

ARIEL:

Well, we definitely saw anti lockdown protests in the United States last year and throughout Europe.

Archival Tape -- Unidentified Protester #1:

“You know, my body, my choice, I take care of myself, I should be able to have the freedom to go out and do my work, my business, my job, my ... take care of my family.”

Archival Tape -- Unidentified Reporter #1:

“Across France, protests were planned in cities including Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes, and Tunisia.”

ARIEL:

I think, though, we didn't pay too much attention to what was happening here because there were plenty of small, say, anti-vaccination protests in Australia last year.

Archival Tape -- Unidentified Protester #2:

“There are doctors all over the internet who are being censored for talking out about the lies that the media and the government is telling us about this. They are being censored...”

ARIEL:

But the ones where we started to sit up and take notice and the ones that seemed more seriously organised were also in Melbourne last year during the long lockdown.

Archival Tape -- Unidentified Reporter #2:

“More than one hundred anti lockdown protesters have gathered in Melbourne's CBD to protest the new restrictions hours before they came into effect.”

ARIEL:

And there was a lot of discussion then of the economic motivations for why they were protesting, but also plenty of references to, say, Q’Anon conspiracy theories, anti vaccination material, covid denialism like the whole gamut.

Archival Tape -- Unidentified Protester #3:

“Covid-19 is a made up...it is a fiction.”

ARIEL:

So I think it's important too that we don't miss that this was a global thing. There were protests around the world on Saturday, all under this banner of the worldwide rally for freedom.

RUBY:

So let's talk a bit more about the freedom rallies. I think a lot of people were shocked to see how big they were on the weekend, particularly in Sydney. So do we know how many people were involved?

ARIEL:

Yeah. In Sydney, officials estimate there are about 3,000 attendees. Of course, organisers claimed they were way more.

Archival Tape -- Unidentified Protester #4:

“We felt this vibration through the streets and police cars were scattering and blocking off intersections in front of us. And as we walked on, maybe 50 more metres, the line of cavalry, the police officers on mounted horses and the people were behind them. And as far as I could see, it was just lined and lined with people.”

ARIEL:

But in terms of people that were there, I mean, there was a lot of what you might expect, people who are into the far edges of wellness movements, anti vaccination activists,

Archival Tape -- Unidentified Protester #5:

I don't care. You want the vaccine. Take the vaccine, but don't force me to take it.

ARIEL:

libertarians,

Archival Tape -- Unidentified Protester #6:

We’re protesting the police state! We’re protesting our rights.

ARIEL:

people on the far right, but also something a bit different. I think we saw some people there that have probably never been involved in a protest like this before.

Archival Tape -- Nathan (Protester):

“Hi, my name's Nathan. I'm from Sydney, New South Wales. Me and my wife went to the protest. We'd never been to a protest before, so it was daunting. We did have a level of anxiety leading into it.”

ARIEL:

It seems like it’s brought in people who have been impacted financially by the pandemic. For example 7am spoke to one man, Nathan. Nathan and his young family live in the southern highlands of New South Wales, and he joined a range of online groups that were critical of the pandemic.

Archival Tape -- Nathan (Protester):

“So I grew up on the central coast originally. And after school, I went and done my carpentry apprenticeship. I then went on to get my certificate in carpentry to become a licensed builder. Since then, I've run three successful companies.

We were affected by the lockdowns and we had to delegate some of our staff to JobKeeper and rely on some of the subsidies from the government. So we were grossly affected and our company was definitely put on pause for a great period of time there.”

ARIEL:

So I think really it's kind of confounding to sort out all those motivations. Certainly it's not just some fringe movement of conspiracy theorists at all. I mean, this encompasses a huge range of people.

Archival Tape -- Nathan (Protester):

“Everybody was promoting different messages. As far as we're against mandatory vaccines or against lockdowns or we're against masks or against censorship or oppression or tyranny, things like that. But the common cause was freedom, and freedom of choice, and human rights...”

RUBY:

So why do you think it is that we've seen this movement grow so much and grow so much specifically in the way that it has, with all these different types of people and different demographics, but also at this moment in time?

ARIEL:

Well, I think there's a lot to unpack there. I mean, if we look at the language of this protest, like the ‘Worldwide Rally for Freedom’, on its face, what's wrong with that? We all kind of like freedom, right? So there's the language of personal rights, medical freedom, anti medical authoritarianism. We see this kind of syntax in these groups a lot.

Archival Tape -- Nathan (Protester):

“This is about our freedoms, whether you believe that masks work or lockdown's work or any of these things, you know, the majority of people who believe in their freedom and their constitutional right.”

ARIEL:

Even the phrase ‘my body, my choice’, which is borrowed from the reproductive rights movements, like this language and syntax borrowed from progressive movements that have a lot of resonance with the community.

So there's that global language of medical freedom I think that's really been picked up; and this sort of idea of pro-citizen or citizens rights movements that are focussed on individual freedoms over restrictive public health measures.

I mean, there was actually a promotional trailer for the protests on Saturday. And I think it really speaks to how this could appeal to a lot of different agendas.

Archival Tape -- Protest Trailer:

“We can't pay bills, we can’t do anything because we’re losing money!”

ARIEL:

The video starts out speaking about the economic hardship of lockdown, but then sort of moves towards the shadowy elites who caused the lockdown, and caused this pain for small business.

Archival Tape -- Protest Trailer:

“Designed to have no small business, just gigantic corporations that control and produce everything...

They're not telling them everything about these shots. Please don't get it...

Is it a poison? It is most definitely a poison. There's no other reason for this to be in here except to murder people…”

ARIEL:

Then there's some ominous clips about dangerous vaccine ingredients in vaccine passports,

Archival Tape -- Protest Trailer:

“Your vaccine is a kind of passport to do things…”

ARIEL:

all that kind of language that is calculated to put people in a kind of fearful state.

So there was certainly something for everyone in Saturday's protests, they were really kind of a big tent under which people could organise according to a whole range of grievances, concerns, even conspiracy theories.

And that's really something that politicians can tap into.

Archival Tape -- Unidentified Politician #1:

“So, ladies and gentlemen, what I want to say to you all, is to maintain the rage because freedom is precious, freedom is important, and we cannot let it die, here in own country”

RUBY:

We’ll be right back.

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RUBY:

Ariel these protests against lockdowns, they're bigger right now than they've ever been, at least in Australia, and there are plans to continue them in the coming weeks. And we're also seeing, as you mentioned, politicians being drawn into all of this. So can you tell me a bit more about that, what we're seeing and we're hearing from politicians on the issue?

ARIEL:

Well, the response from most political leaders has been one of strong condemnation. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the protesters had “broken her heart”:

Archival Tape -- Gladys Berejiklian:

“Can I say how absolutely disgusted I was? It broke my heart.”

ARIEL:

I mean, even the prime minister, Scott Morrison, called the protesters selfish and reckless.

Archival Tape -- Scott Morrison:

“Of course, it was selfish. It was also self-defeating. It achieves no purpose. It will not end the lockdown sooner.”

ARIEL:

And he said that it had, like, offended many Sydneysiders and suggested the behaviour didn't really help anyone.

Archival Tape -- Scott Morrison:

“And I think it offended many, many fellow Sydneysiders.”

ARIEL:

But that response does mask the fact that they were politicians, particularly on the conservative side, that actually voiced support for these kinds of protests and some who even took part.

RUBY:

Which politicians took part in the protests?

ARIEL:

Well, I think the one that's won the most attention has been George Christensen, the Nationals MP. He actually spoke at a small rally in Mackay.

Archival Tape -- George Christensen:

“The problem is right now, our freedoms to actually speak up, to go out and about, to associate with other people, to choose what we wear, to choose what we put into our body. All of these things are under attack from government…”

ARIEL:

And it's important to note there that protests in Queensland aren't really under the same restrictions as the ones in Sydney or Melbourne at the moment.

But in the days leading up to the nationwide protests, he promoted the event on his social media pages, talked about ‘freedom lovers’ and asked them to voice their opposition to pandemic restrictions

Archival Tape -- George Christensen:

“...restrictions on our freedoms”

Archival Tape -- Unidentified Protester #1:

“We will not comply!”

Archival Tape -- George Christensen:

“And we should not comply! Because at some point in this fight, civil disobedience is going to have to be done, and uh, ya know, and we're going to have to prepare for that at some stage, because I see that day coming very, very soon...”

ARIEL:

There was also the former Liberal MP turned independent, Craig Kelly. He addressed the Brisbane protest by telephone as well. And there was One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts as well, who recorded a video message.

Archival Tape -- Malcolm Roberts:

“This will send a strong message to governments, both federal and state, that we value our freedom.”

ARIEL:

And these guys, they are receiving support from some politicians like Barnaby Joyce.

Archival Tape -- Unidentified Interviewer #1:

“Barnaby Joyce is leader of the Nationals and deputy Prime Minister. Welcome back to Breakfast.”

Archival Tape -- Barnaby Joyce:

“Thanks Fran, it's great to talk to you again.”

ARIEL:

And he told ABC Radio that everybody has the liberty to say what they want.

Archival Tape -- Unidentified Interviewer #1:

“Do you have a problem with those sentiments from George Christensen?”

Archival Tape -- Barnaby Joyce:

“Well I don't agree with them, how far do you want to go? I don’t agree...”

Archival Tape -- Unidentified Interviewer #1:

“Well I want to know can we afford to have a member of parliament endorsing behaviour that could lead to even more infections and even longer lockdowns?”

Archival Tape -- Barnaby Joyce:

“So let's be realist about this - everybody has the liberty to say what they want.”

ARIEL:

So not really an outright condemnation of these people and these politicians in their involvement in these protests.

RUBY:

And so what do you think is going on here, Ariel? Is this a case of these politicians genuinely holding these strong beliefs about lockdowns or is it more cynical than that? Or are they trying to capitalise on the movement to boost their own popularity?

ARIEL:

I mean, it's a good question, isn't it? I really don't pretend to know what's in their heart of hearts.

I mean, there is something to appeal for a politician in all this. These are passionate people who do show up, who do post, who do comment. And we do see often like not an outright endorsement of, say, the most extreme elements of these protests; you know Q’Anon conspiracy theories, for example, but plenty of content that could be interpreted by some of the people that follow these movements is a kind of wink and a nod.

RUBY:

Ok so is there a concern, then, that some of the people being attracted to the anti-lockdown protests, people like Nathan, could end up being pulled further into the kind of ideology that’s being expressed at the rallies, or towards the politicians who are courting that anger?

ARIEL:

Right, I mean, I certainly would want to avoid any kind of singular theory of why people showed up on Saturday, why they were there, as you've mentioned, but there is that risk and the concern that people who are entering these movements for a whole range of reasons might end up being drawn to some of the more extreme elements of the communities they're now participating in.

Archival Tape -- Nathan (Protester):

“So I would say pre-Covid, let's say, to not put an exact time stamp on it, I was politically marooned. I loathed going to elections and putting in my ballots and things like this.”

ARIEL:

I mean, certainly it could be seen as a promising recruitment ground for the far right, because there's a lot to mobilise there, that resentment of the government, that sense of disenfranchisement, frustration with how things have been managed.

Archival Tape -- Nathan (Protester):

“But right now, when it comes to politics, although I'm not well educated in politics, I definitely have taken more of an interest. And I definitely know that in upcoming elections that I will be spending a month leading into a really researching who I'm going to vote for and what they actually stand for, what is their message...”

ARIEL:

And there is a risk, I suppose, of some element of political mobilisation out of this. Certainly, there are some would-be political parties that are based around anti lockdown groups and anti vaccination sentiments.

So I don't think we're going to see this go away entirely. And certainly there's a lot of chatter in some of these groups about upcoming protests.

Archival Tape -- Nathan (Protester):

“Will I go to future rallies? Absolutely. I will definitely be attending future rallies and standing up for the people, whether it's the people opposed to the rallies I’m standing up for you as well.”

ARIEL:

I think overall, like there's a message here too, that economic wellbeing can't really be seen as oppositional to public health. We need to really look at greater financial support and real actionable roadmap to remove restrictions and start talking to people on the level because this really isn't going away.

RUBY:

Ariel, thank you so much for your time.

ARIEL:

Thanks Ruby.

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RUBY:

Also in the news today....

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced that the state’s lockdown will be extended for at least another four weeks.

On Wednesday the state recorded another 177 cases of Covid-19.

The state government will allow some construction activity to resume in August, and Year 12 students will be prioritised for access to the Pfizer vaccine in order to aid their return to school.

And Prime Minister Scott Morrison has compared the campaign to get Australians vaccinated to a ‘gold medal run’ at the Olympics, calling on Australians to embrace the ‘Olympic spirit’ and get vaccinated.

Morrison also announced that the $600 disaster payment for people in lockdown who have lost more than 20 hours a week will lift to $750.

I’m Ruby Jones, this is 7am. See ya tomorrow.

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