Shorthttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧵" title="Thread" aria-label="Emoji: Thread">from me on yesterday& #39;s arrest of a woman in Ballarat:

While regional Victoria is currently under stage 3 stay-at-home orders and gatherings are banned, the arrest of somebody purely for the act of planning a protest creates an alarming precedent. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/sep/02/three-men-arrested-ahead-of-planned-anti-lockdown-protest-in-victoria">https://www.theguardian.com/australia...

Arresting people pre-emptively for the act of organising peaceful protests or for social media posts is something that happens all too often under authoritarian regimes, and it should not be happening in a democracy like Australia.

What’s more, heavy-handed police tactics could strengthen the resolve of the anti-lockdown movement and simply serve their interests by galvanising members.

As @LibertyVic says, police should exercise discretion & restraint, and ultimately the outcomes will be better. https://twitter.com/LibertyVic/status/1301335389869760515?s=20">https://twitter.com/LibertyVi...