| Convoy to Canberra | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofCOVID-19 protests in Australia | |||
| Date | 31 January 2022 (2022-01-31) – 13 February 2022 (2022-02-13) | ||
| Location | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory | ||
| Caused by | COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, opposition to federal and state COVID-19 mitigation and vaccination policies[1] | ||
| Methods | Convoy | ||
| Status | Ended | ||
| Parties | |||
| |||
| Lead figures | |||
| Number | |||
| Arrests and charges | |||
| Arrested | 4[9] | ||
| Charged | 1[10] | ||
Theconvoy to Canberra was an anti-vaccine mandate protest in Australia between late January and mid-February 2022 that was inspired by the CanadianFreedom Convoy protest inOttawa. Thousands of protesters converged on the Australian capital city ofCanberra, camping near theAustralian Parliament,National Library and theNational Press Club.[11][1][12] As with the Canadian protest, the Canberra protest was organised through various social media platforms includingFacebook,Telegram,GoFundMe, andGiveSendGo.[13] By 13 February, most of the convoy protesters had dispersed after local authorities moved them in preparation for theRoyal Canberra Show.[14]
The Canadian anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine mandateFreedom Convoy which began inOttawa in late January 2022 inspired similarFacebook andTelegram groups in 34 countries including Australia.[11][1][12] The Convoy to Canberra attracted various elements including anti-vaccination activists, anti-vaccine mandate activists, theSovereign citizen movement, extreme religious groups, members of the United Australia Party, and others who purported to advocate for indigenous rights.[15][2][12] TheAboriginal Tent Embassy disavowed the protestors who purported to speak on behalf of indigenous people as part of the Convoy to Canberra, and criticised Sovereign citizen activists for hijacking Indigenous Australian activism.[2]
From 31 January 2022, a "Convoy to Canberra" consisting of thousands of protesters in trailers, trucks, cars and campervans gathered in Canberra, picketing theNational Library of Australia, theAustralian Parliament House and theNational Press Club. Convoy participants vowed to remain to protest COVID-19 restrictions until theAustralian Parliament sat on 8 February 2022.[11][1][12] Protest organisers also planned an "Occupy Canberra" protest atOld Parliament House and the Australian Parliament House to coincide with the resumption of Parliament in the week of 7 February.[1][12]
Protesters waved flags or wore merchandise supportingDonald Trump, theUnited Australia Party,One Nation, theQAnon conspiracy theory, and anti-lockdown groups. In addition protesters criticised several prominent federal and state figures including Prime MinisterScott Morrison,Victorian PremierDaniel Andrews,New South Wales PremierDominic Perrottet, andAustralian Labor Party leaderAnthony Albanese.[1] The far right Canadian media outletRebel News's correspondentAvi Yemini also covered the protests; with the outlet's videos being circulated on several social media platforms includingFacebook,YouTube,Twitter,Telegram andInstagram.[5]
The presence of protesters created traffic chaos in Canberra. On 2 February, police usedpepper spray and arrested at least four participants while attempting to clear protesters camped outside the National Library.[16][17] On 4 February, "Sovereign citizen" groups gathered outside police stations where supporters attempted to "serve papers" on public officials.[1]
On 5 February, about 2,000 anti-vaccination mandate protestors marched to theParliamentary Triangle. The march began atGlebe Park in the CBD, then ontoCommonwealth Avenue, disrupting traffic. United Australia Party leaderCraig Kelly,Liberal National Party of Queensland Member of ParliamentGeorge Christensen and SenatorGerard Rennick attended the protests.[18][19] That same day, theNational Capital Authority objected to illegal camping and parking outside the National Library and requested that Police remove them.[7]
On 12 February, around 10,000 protesters converged on Parliament House and Old Parliament House. These protesters had camped atExhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC), after being moved on from the lawns next to the National Library. Police arrested three people including one man for breaching a fence while two others were arrested for disturbing the peace. Participants called for the elimination of mandates and the sacking of government ministers. In response, Police called on protesters to vacate by 13 February. In response to protest activity,Lifeline Canberra and the Capital Regional Farmers Market suspended their events due to safety concerns for customers.[20][21][22][23]
By 13 February, many of the Convoy to Canberra protesters had dispersed after being moved on from the EPIC camp ground ahead of preparations for theRoyal Canberra Show. Some of them relocated to a private patch of farmland 45 minutes south of the Canberra CBD.[24]
The presence of the protesters had created friction with Canberra locals over the past two weeks.[14] The previous night, anti-mandate protesters attempted to enter aBentSpoke brewery in Canberra but were stopped by staff since they did not comply with health directions. One of the protesters even threw a glass at the bar. The protesters' actions were criticised by BentSpoke founder Richard Watkins, who defended the conduct of his staff.[25]
On 12 February 2022,Australian Prime MinisterScott Morrison defendedhis government's COVID-19 mitigation policies and urged protesters to demonstrate in a "peaceful and respectful way."Australian Labor Party leaderAnthony Albanese called on them to return home and stated that their behaviour did little to advance their cause.[20][22] By contrast,One Nation leaderPauline Hanson expressed support for the Canberra Convoy.[20]
In late January 2022, the crowd fundraising websiteGoFundMe froze more than A$160,000 in funds raised by supporters of the "Convoy to Canberra" amidst concerns over how the money would be spent.[26][27] On 8 February, the platform subsequently cancelled the pro-Convoy fundraising campaign on the grounds that it had violated its terms of service; returning more than A$179,000 to donors.[28]
On 10 February,Crikey reported that several fakeFacebook accounts based in India, Bangladesh and Canada were being used to organise the Convoy to Canberra protest and to solicit donations. One notable account purportedly belonged to a Canadian named James Rhodes was found to have an artificially generated image while the administrator of another group was revealed to be a Bangladeshi man named Shamim Khan. While Facebook and Telegram were being used to advertise the protest and coordinate attendees, crowdfunding platforms such as GoFundMe andGiveSendGo were being used to raise funds for the protests.Meta Platforms subsequently deleted a Convoy to Canberra Facebook group, which claimed 177,000 members.[29] On 17 February, a follow-upCrikey report found that at least two Convoy to Canberra Facebook groups were linked to Bangladeshi Facebook users, who had been paid by organisers of the Australian and Canadian convoy protests to promote these Facebook groups and their content.Crikey also reported that 588 Australian-based donors had donated US$33,734 to the Canadian Freedom convoy via GiveSendGo.[13]
