Australia Covid: Anti-lockdown protesters ‘should be ashamed of themselves’, premier says

Politicians in Australia have condemned demonstrations against Covid-19 restrictions as cases in the country rise.

Protestors took to the streets of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane on Saturday, calling for an end to lockdown measures.

Thousands took part in Sydney and some 500 people who were involved have been fined, while at least 57 have been charged as detectives comb through social media footage to identify those who broke stay-at-home rules.

On Sunday, Gladys Berejiklian, New South Wales (NSW) premier, said that those taking part in the protest “should be ashamed”.

“Millions and millions of people across our state are doing the right thing, and it just broke my heart that people had such a disregard for their fellow citizens,” she told reporters.

Prime minister Scott Morrison called the demonstrators “selfish” and “self-defeating”, adding that the protests “only risk the lockdowns running further.”

Currently, some 13 million Australians are in lockdown following the rise of the Delta variant in the country, which has driven cases up.

Meanwhile, less than 14 per cent of the population have been fully vaccinated against Covid, a percentage which is far lower than most countries in Europe and the US.

The state of New South Wales recorded its second highest daily increase in Covid cases of the year on Sunday, with 141 new infections reported.

There are concerns that the spate of protests could lead to a further increase in case numbers, with expectations that the current lockdown, in place until 30 July, will be extended.

Mr Morrison has been criticised for his rollout of the Covid vaccine but has promised more doses to NSW.

He said, however, that the national rollout could not be disrupted to give the state more doses of the vaccine, adding that the NSW lockdown would only come to an end when case numbers dropped.