Sunrise newsreader Edwina Bartholomew blasts ‘professional protesters’ who assaulted reporters and waved Trump flags at anti-vax demonstrations that shamed Australia
Edwina Bartholomew has blasted the ‘professional protesters’ who wreaked havoc at the anti-vax demonstrations in Melbourne earlier this week.
In her column for The Daily Telegraph, the Sunrise newsreader hit back at the thousands of tradies and other far-right agitators who rioted over mandatory Covid vaccines for construction workers.
‘Imagine sitting at home in lockdown watching a bunch of entitled professional protesters take to the streets, hurling urine at reporters, lighting flares and flying Trump 2020 flags?’ the 38-year-old wrote.
Blasted: Sunrise newsreader Edwina Bartholomew has blasted the ‘professional protesters’ who wreaked havoc at the anti-vax demonstrations in Melbourne earlier this week
She continued: ‘Some of the people protesting were construction industry members but most were just troublemakers. What were they hoping to achieve?
‘No one actually knows, not even the thugs climbing all over police cars. We all want restrictions to be over. We all want life to return to normal. This is not the way to achieve it.’
Bartholomew went on to say she looks forward to the day ‘protests are behind us, picnics don’t seem exceptional and the simple things are just standard’.
Protests: Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Bartholomew hit back at the thousands of tradies and far-right agitators who rioted over mandatory Covid vaccines for construction workers
It comes after anti-vax protesters ambushed riot cops and smashed up police squad cars as construction worker demonstrations on the streets of Melbourne descended into chaos on Tuesday.
Footage showed tradesmen in hi-vis clothing kicking police cars and attempting to tear off their side mirrors in the CBD as thousands of demonstrators gathered outside Victoria’s Parliament House.
Riot police were then seen advancing in formation on the rioters before firing tear gas, stinger grenades and rubber bullets.
Violence: ‘Some of the people protesting were construction industry members but most were just troublemakers. What were they hoping to achieve?’ she wrote
Police chief Shane Patton said three officers were injured during the clashes and 44 protesters were arrested, but that number is expected to rise dramatically.
Although more than 500 police had been deployed with the assistance of police air wing helicopters, Mr Patton said it had been ‘really challenging for us’ because of ‘spontaneity and tactics they employed throughout the day’.
The rudderless mob of about 2,000 demonstrators marched aimlessly around the CBD for hours, even scaling the West Gate Bridge in the afternoon shutting down traffic throughout the city.
The protest began outside the boarded-up head office of the construction union, the CFMEU, which was badly damaged by violent demonstrations just 24 hours earlier.
Protest: Anti-vaxxers ambushed riot cops and smashed up police squad cars as construction worker demonstrations on the streets of Melbourne descended into chaos on Tuesday
