Protesters in Australia says corona is a government plot

Ten people were arrested and a police officer injured Sunday at an anti-lockdown protest in Melbourne, where demonstrators claimed coronavirus was a government-engineered conspiracy designed to control the population.

Iran PressAsiaAbout 150 protesters rallied outside Victoria's state parliament to protest against a shutdown aimed at stemming the spread of COVID-19, while also peddling conspiracy theories about the virus, AFP reported.

Most Australian states and territories have begun easing restrictions, but Victoria has delayed relaxing its measures amid an outbreak at a Melbourne slaughterhouse that caused a spike in new cases.

In scenes reminiscent of anti-lockdown protests in the United States, demonstrators carried placards reading "fight for your freedom and rights", and directed their ire at the founder of Microsoft, chanting "arrest Bill Gates".

Health experts credit Australia's success in curbing the spread of COVID-19 to an effective nationwide shutdown.

A spokeswoman for Victoria police said 10 people were arrested at Sunday's rally, mostly for breaching social distancing and stay-at-home orders.

The spokeswoman added that police were working to track down other protest attendees, who could face Aus$1,600 fines for breaching coronavirus shutdown rules.

Australia's central bank governor has said that the country will suffer its biggest economic contraction since the 1930s in the first half of 2020 due to the Coronavirus-driven mobility restrictions.

Australia has recorded about 7,000 cases of COVID-19 and less than 100 deaths from the virus.

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