The Melbourne protest was the most violent, involving roughly 4,000 namely unmasked demonstrators, some of whom let off flares.<\/b>
\nHundreds of people, many of whom are now facing fines for flouting health orders, were arrested Saturday in Australia while protesting the country\u2019s lockdown. The demonstrations \u2014 many of which came together as a result of online chat groups \u2014 spanned multiple cities, though the most violent was in Melbourne, which went into lockdown earlier in August, along with the capital Canberra, The Associated Press reported. The Melbourne protest involved roughly 4,000 mainly unmasked demonstrators, some of whom set off flares. So far,218 people have been arrested \u2014 including three for allegedly assaulting police \u2014 in Victoria state, home to Melbourne. The state has issued over 200 fines, each of which has been for over 5,400 Australian dollars (about $3,850). Six Victoria state police officers have been hospitalized following the demonstrations. The lockdowns in Australia affect people\u2019s social interactions and leave them namely confined to their homes. Despite Sydney\u2019s ongoing two-month lockdown, New South Wales, the state housing the city, on Saturday reported a record 825 new daily community infections as the delta variant makes its way through cities. Forty-seven were arrested in New South Wales state, where over 260 were fined in connection to the statewide protests. A 32-year-old man who allegedly assaulted an officer was also arrested in the state, according to authorities there. Though Queensland state police had not made any arrests at the time of publication, over 2,000 had rallied in Brisbane City Botanic Gardens to protest both lockdown and vaccine measures. Australia has recorded a total of 43,119 COVID-19 cases,978 deaths, and has administered over 16.8 million vaccine doses, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University & Medicine\u2019s Coronavirus Resource Center. With News Wire Services<\/p>\n