When I arrived at Archibald Fountain in Hyde Park just after 12pm today, I thought the entire unvaccinated population of NSW had assembled here, prepared to finally stand up against the Covid nonsense which has been dominating and ruining our lives for the last 18 months.
It was an overwhelming feeling of joy for me to see so many people show up for the latest Freedom Day demonstrations, which were held in cities all over the world.
There was barely space to move, and more and more people were joining. Eventually, the colourful crowd started marching peacefully and from time to time chanting “freedom, freedom” down Market Street, right into Clarence Street, and then all the way up King Street.
The last time I had seen this many people in one place would have been during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. I had goosebumps when I saw Market Street, and then King Street covered in humans.
The crowd was a very homogenous one: young people, older people, families with children of all ages, people from all kinds of backgrounds, and all walks of life.
Above all, it was great to see so many faces. Only very few people wore those horrid face nappies, which to me are mere symbols of state oppression.
The mood was positive and determined. People wore their statements of opposition against the disproportionate government measures on their t-shirts, and on their banners and placards. Some carried the national flag, the Eureka flag, or flags of other nations – it was a multicultural gathering after all.
The theme was clear: most people were there to protest against vaccination coercion and mandates, and against the government overreach we’ve been experiencing.
The police presence was strong. Whilst they wore masks, they wore no riot gear and they certainly had no reason to intervene with this peaceful demonstration.
We simply wanted to let our governments know that we are fed up with their bullying, and yes, we also called for them to go. Our politicians have betrayed us and lied to us, and to see tens of thousands turn out on the streets of Sydney to convey that message was moving.
Along the way I spoke for a while with a man in his thirties, who is, like myself, worried that his employer might mandate Covid vaccination. I also briefly spoke with a journalist from a major news organisation who expressed his frustration about how his profession handled Covid.
Speaking of which: how did the media report on this event?
The ABC’s headline read “Thousands of anti-lockdown, vaccine mandate protesters march at COVID rallies across Australia,” with just a short and bland paragraph on the events in Sydney.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald the police stated there were 10,000 people, whilst the organizers said there were 100,000. The police should really know, but 10,000 seems a rather low estimate.
A Channel 9 article went with the usual derogatory anti-vax theme.
The crowd reassembled at the top of Martin Place, where a temporary stage had been built and speeches were held, including one by United Australia party leader Craig Kelly, one of few politicians who have spoken out against the draconian government Covid measures.
The acoustics were less than ideal, the loudspeakers nowhere near powerful enough, and there simply wasn’t enough space to accommodate all those who had before marched on the street. But today I am happy to know that I am far from alone. An increasing number of Australians realise that they have been the victims of a gigantic fraud, and that we need to fight against it and hold our governments to account.
Yes, Australia is finally waking up.
