Media personality Sam Newman is urging the people of Melbourne to take to the streets in protest of Stage Four lockdown.
Anti-lockdown protestors clashed with police in a dramatic stand-off in the city’s north on Sunday night.
The scene prompted the controversial Footy Show host to come to social media to share his opinion.
“Of all the protests that we have put up with, how about a quarter million of us gather in the CBD to take the City/State back, before EVERY previous march will have been pointless,” Newman wrote in a tweet on Sunday night.
“And hopefully a state day of coordination. Any takers? #StateofSurvival.”
He went on to respond to one suggestion from a fellow Melbournian that he had “incited a riot” with his controversial comments, saying: “There’ll be no rioting. No looting. No arson. No violence. Just an expression of desperation for our sanity.”
The tweet garnered over 1000 likes and hundreds of comments, the same day Victoria recorded 114 new cases and another 11 deaths.
“Just tell me when and where never protested before but this is the most important thing we have faced in my lifetime. We ordinary Victorians must take our state back,” one man said in response to Newman’s tweets.
Another said: “protest at some point needs to happen so our political class can get a sense of the real opposition to the unbalanced measures put in place.”
World class MMA Fighter Vic Vik Grujic also invited Newman to the Freedom Day mass gathering planned for next Saturday in Melbourne’s CBD.
Another fan praised Newman for his words..
“You didn’t even mention what march, and even mentioned a State Day of coordination. Could be a march for Prostate Cancer. Or even a Pro Dan Andrews march. Could be a march of social distancing examples. Very cleverly worded,” they said.
Not everyone was in agreement with the controversial TV personality however.
“I have read your tweet three times and it’s still incomprehensible. But good luck with whatever self-indulgent, poorly conceived action you’re proposing,” one woman wrote.
Another responded: “Of all the things you have said, this is highly irresponsible, you know your position, is this what the would want posted, it’s with these people’s lives that you earned your living.”
Metropolitan Melbourne is under stage four restrictions which includes an evening curfew and a ban on people from travelling beyond five-kilometre radius from home until at least September 13.
Regional Victoria is under stage three restrictions which allows residents to leave home for essential purposes.
Earlier on Sunday, Victorians were left in fury when the premier repeatedly mentioned a mysterious “plan” out of lockdown.
Mr Andrews spoke on the “plan” 22 times during Sunday’s press conference but refused to give any more details.
“These case numbers are too high for us to open up, and they are still too high for us to put forward a definitive plan,” he said.
“Now, there will be a plan. It will come soon.”
The premier says he is fearful that new case numbers would “explode” again if the government relaxed restrictions too soon.
“Once we see these numbers fall further, once we have certainty – and that will be quite soon – we will be able to talk in more definitive terms about what the weeks and months ahead look like,” Mr Andrews said.
