Footage has appeared on the internet that shows officers handcuffing pregnant woman Zoe-Lee Buhler, 28, in her home in Victoria on Wednesday in front of her partner and children. They said they were doing so as she had posted a message on Facebook calling for a demonstration against the states draconian lockdown rules.
She starts crying during the arrest, telling police: “I didn’t realise I was doing anything wrong.”
Authorities have defended the officers, saying they acted appropriately.
Authorities have imposed stay-at-home rules and a curfew in Melbourne, the state capital. The lockdown has closed many businesses and banned gatherings around the state.
Last week Victoria Police warned it would arrest people for organising protests in breach of the ban on gatherings.
The incident has been roundly criticised by human rights activists and opposition lawmakers on the left and right of politics.
Elaine Pearson of Human Rights Watch said: “Arresting people pre-emptively for the act of organising peaceful protests or for social media posts is something that happens all too often under authoritarian regimes, and it should not be happening in a democracy like Australia.”
Critics also warned that it could further stoke anti-lockdown sentiment with the video going viral across the world reinforcing the view of many that creeping authoritarianism is taking place globally.
Lead Correspondent | David Clews is the Lead Correspondent for UNN, with over 20 years of political/campaigning experience and a wealth of social media and communication skills David gets to the heart of what is really important to the real people of the UK.
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