London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 05, 2026

More than 100 protesters arrested as police in Melbourne, Australia crack down on vaccine mandate demonstrators

More than 100 protesters arrested as police in Melbourne, Australia crack down on vaccine mandate demonstrators

Police in Melbourne arrested more than 100 demonstrators at a rally against mandatory vaccination. The protest came after Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews issued a fresh round of vaccine mandates, affecting over a million workers.

Andrews announced on Friday that all Victoria residents working outside their homes need to have a first Covid-19 vaccine dose by October 15 and be fully vaccinated by November 26. The mandate will affect around 1.2 million Victorians, the Guardian reported, working in a range of occupations including retail, law, media and professional sports. It comes on top of existing mandates for healthcare, education and construction workers.

These mandates, and the draconian lockdown implemented by Victoria authorities, have led to mass demonstrations marked by extreme police brutality. Locals in Melbourne took to the streets again on Saturday to protest against the mandates, but the several dozen demonstrators were outnumbered by cops, who soon chased them away on horseback, while officers on foot tackled and arrested some among the crowd.




Police arrested 109 people and issued 108 penalty notices, 9News reported. A police spokesperson said that future protests would receive a similar response.

One day earlier, a group of teachers in Melbourne staged their own silent protest against vaccine mandates. The group were largely masked and vaccinated, according to reports, but at least one person was arrested.

Both protests were notably less violent than recent clashes on the streets of Melbourne, which drew international attention due to the extreme tactics used by police.

Andrews plans to reopen the state of Victoria by late October, lifting what is already the world’s longest-running lockdown. Around half of Victoria’s eligible population are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, but no matter how high that percentage rises between now and reopening, Andrews stated earlier this week that unvaccinated people will not be given the same freedom as those who are inoculated when the state reopens.

“We haven’t even had a conversation about when [the vaccinated economy] might change and everyone might be on an equal footing,” he said at a press conference on Monday, several weeks after warning that those without the jab would be “locked out” of the “vaccinated economy.”

Despite the ongoing vaccine rollout, cases of Covid-19 are currently higher in Victoria than at any point throughout the pandemic thus far. The state recorded an all-time high of 1,488 cases on Friday, along with two deaths.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
BT Accused of Pressuring Vulnerable Customers During Digital Landline Shift
British Carmakers Warn of Growing Pressure From EU-China Tariff Dispute
Green Party of England and Wales Adopts Motion Defining Zionism as Racism
Medical Charity Threatens NHS Legal Action Over Two-Year Autism and ADHD Assessment Waits
British Transport Police Report Record Rise in Violence on Railways
Glasgow Council Workers Face Pay Cuts Under Fire-and-Rehire Plan
British Medical Groups Press Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Cancel £330 Million Palantir NHS Contract
UK Faces Record Bluetongue Outbreak Across Livestock Farms
UK Schools Report Thousands of Child-on-Child Sexual Offences
High Court Overturns Ban Blocking Gaza Families From Reuniting With Relatives in UK
G7 Authorizes Emergency Fuel Release as UK Diesel Prices Hit £2 a Litre
France and Italy Draw 1-1 in Nations League Match
Pope Leo XIV and Prince Albert II of Monaco Meet in Metz
SNCF Expands Low-Cost Ouigo High-Speed Service Between Lyon and Bordeaux
Paris Expands Dedicated Cargo Bike Routes for Urban Deliveries
French Film Industry Pushes for Tighter Streaming Investment Rules
Marseille Court Hands Down Prison Terms in Public Procurement Corruption Case
LVMH and Kering Rely on US Demand as Chinese Luxury Spending Slows
Toulouse Aerospace Sector Launches €80 Million Modernization Fund
Javier Milei Courts French Investment in LNG and Lithium
Mistral AI Launches Sovereign Model for European Public Services
French Competition Authority Fines Retailers €40 Million Over Misleading Promotions
France Records Exceptional Electricity Exports as Nuclear Output Recovers
Dassault Aviation Expands Rafale Assembly Capacity at Mérignac
Sanofi Invests €1 Billion in New Biologics Production Hub Near Lyon
France Protests Germany’s Extension of Border Controls Into 2027
French Public-Sector and Transport Unions Threaten National Strike
France Deploys Riot Police After Violence in Lyon Suburbs
French Anti-Terrorism Prosecutors Investigate Radicalized Flydubai Co-Pilot
France’s Defense Budget Surpasses NATO’s 2% of GDP Target
French Government Faces No-Confidence Threat Over Budget
France and G7 Release 100 Million Barrels From Strategic Oil Reserves
France Convenes Emergency Defense Council Over Threats to Commercial Shipping
France and Germany Coordinate Military Response After Russian Strikes on Kyiv Infrastructure
UK Police Release Six Iranian Nationals on Bail After RAF Fairford Security Alert
UK Business Confidence Falls as Energy Costs and Tax Uncertainty Rise
Cornwall Insight Warns UK Energy Bills Could Rise 16% in January
UK Introduces Zero VAT on Household Electricity Bills
UK 30-Year Gilt Yield Hits 6% as Bond Market Pressures Intensify
UK Introduces Stricter Subcontractor Checks and Expanded Trade Union Access
Green Party Proposes Three-Year Emergency Freeze on Private Rent Increases
UK Treasury Committee Seeks Tax Clarification Over Manchester City Investigation
Royal Marines Deploy to Faroe Islands for Northern European Security Exercise
UK Business Confidence Weakens as High Costs Delay Investment
UK GDP Growth Revised Up to 0.5% in Second Quarter
Bank of England Warns of Financial Stability Risks From Autonomous AI
UK Expands Early Prisoner Release Scheme to Ease Overcrowding
UK Records Worst Bluetongue Outbreak on Record Across Livestock Farms
UK Government Faces Shrinking Fiscal Headroom Ahead of October 28 Budget
UK 30-Year Gilt Yield Reaches 6% as Energy Shock Drives Borrowing Costs Higher
×