Protesters gather on the lawn of Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, February 12, 2022 © Getty Images / Tracey Nearmy

Canberra, February 13 (RHC)-- Protesters gathered at Parliament House in the Australian capital, Canberra on Saturday, demanding an end to coronavirus measures.  The demonstrators, who arrived by truck, car, and bus over the last week, had camped at a nearby festival ground. 

Video footage of the demonstration showed crowds of people streaming into the city and assembling outside parliament.  7News reporter Jennifer Bechwati described the gathering as “one of the biggest protests I’ve ever seen.”

Once outside the Australian legislature, the crowd chanted "Sack them all,” referring to Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the state premiers responsible for implementing some of the world’s toughest pandemic-related restrictions.  In Victoria, for example, face masks and proof of vaccination are required in most indoor settings and employees in most sectors are required to be vaccinated to work. 

At least three people were arrested on Saturday, with one detained for driving his truck through a roadblock.  Police estimated the crowd at around 10,000 protesters.