Vaccine-related illnesses, the murder of Charlie Kirk, government corruption, free speech and bodily autonomy, were the subjects of anti-government speeches at a demonstration on Saturday.
Sydney was among many major Australian cities hosting anti-establishment protests with about 3,000 people gathered at Hyde Park for the ‘Australia Unites Against Government Corruption’ rally. The demonstration, which included a march around the CBD, was organised under the ‘Australia Unites’ banner.
Several speakers addressed the largely blue, red and white attired audience from a stage on College Street, outside St Mary’s Cathedral.
Key organiser Mary-Jane Liddicoat opened the rally by calling for collective awareness about the future of Australia and the need for change in local communities being “a drop in the sea of change”.
A protester wearing an Indigenous T-shirt outside St James Station. Photo: Orlando Sagar.
“Take all my energy if you’re not feeling energetic, go back to your communities and choose to do something because the choice you make will create the future for Australia tomorrow,” said Liddicoat.
The activist, who according to another speaker “basically set up” the ‘Convoy to Canberra’ anti-vaccination protests in 2022, has been an outspoken critic of the Australian government’s vaccine mandate and what she termed the ‘breach’ of bodily autonomy.
Liddicoat originally planned for a march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge until police and organisers agreed to change the march route following a NSW Supreme Court challenge by state police last week.
Numerous speakers praised right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk, who was murdered by a sniper two days beforehand, and a moment’s silence was held.
Main speaker Graham Hood, a former Qantas captain, said he met the Turning Point USA founder at a conference in March, and would “cherish” Kirk’s posthumous book, on the Christian holy day the Sabbath, when it is released later this year.
Protestors praying after being asked to offer their condolences to Charlie Kirk in a moment of prayer. Photo: Orlando Sagar
Hood, who accused the government of “prostituting” the nation by exporting natural resources such as coal overseas while providing little for domestic supply, had mixed messages for the crowd, on one hand exhorting Australians to “come together” and then urging them to “choose a side”.
“They [the Australian government] want to divide you,” he said. “It’s up to us to mend that division. It’s time to come back together as a nation to heal.”
Hood later exclaimed to cheering: “This is a battle between good and evil.
“I believe our enemy is communism and this country has become a communist country.
“The communist-Marxist regimes around the world have an agenda and that agenda is first to go to Christian democratic countries like this one and demoralise them.”
Many protesters were waving Australian red ensign flags, used for private Australian shipping which is not under direct government control.
Man waving the Australian red ensign flag used for Australian registered ships. Photo: Orlando Sagar
Campaigner Donna Markwell, the founder of The Corruption Whistleblower newspaper, spoke about ‘turbo-cancer’, an anti-vaccination conspiracy theory which asserts COVID-19 vaccinations activated accelerated growth in cancer cells.
“They’re [doctors] pulling out stuff as big as worms from peoples veins and dying of turbo-cancer, do we not know? Yes we know,” said Markwell.
Michael Simms, who runs ‘Millions March Against Mandatory Vaccination Australia’ (MMAMVA) and co-organised the rally with Liddicoat, added to anti-vaccination sentiment while also taking aim at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum that failed to pass a national vote in 2023.
“We are one and we are many. We will not be divided by Anthony Albanese, by his garbage treaty rubbish on Voice. We are one Australia,” said Simms.
Masked man holding a pole carrying multiple flags. Photo: Orlando Sagar
The MMAMVA founder made unsupported claims about vaccine-related deaths and also voiced his distrust of former Minister for Health of NSW Brad Hazzard, stating he enacted “medical tyranny” upon the NSW public.
“He [Hazzard] forced people to get vaccines that are now killing people in the millions,” said Simms. “They are causing cancers. Turbo-cancers.”
He added that myocarditis, a heart-condition that can lead to heart failure and has been linked by scientists to COVID-19, was “becoming the new cold” due to vaccines.
Myocarditis was acknowledged by Oxford University and AstraZeneca as a side effect in some people of the vaccination in early 2021, at the onset of the pandemic.
However, research shows no recorded deaths of hospitalised patients with a coronavirus-related myocarditis diagnosis.
A member of the crowd passionately yelling in support of the speeches. Photo: Orlando Sagar
Dozens of police attended the protest, and a 50-year-old man was arrested for breaching the peace after interjecting during a speech. However, the event was otherwise orderly and there was no repeat of clashes that occurred at the Melbourne leg of the protest at the same time. In recent weeks nationwide ‘March for Australia’ protests saw brawls erupt in Melbourne after the neo-Nazi organisation National Socialist Network clashed with counter demonstrators.
A rally at Belmore Park for the National Day of Action took place simultaneously in protest of rising racism and fascism in Australia.
Main image by Orlando Sagar.
