Australian Police Officer Quits After Seeing Force Treat COVID-19 Protesters ‘Like Foreign Invaders’

A riot police officer wields a weapon looking onwards at COVID-19 lockdown protesters near the Shrine of Remembrance, in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 22, 2021. Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

A second member of the Victoria Police force has joined former Acting Senior Sergeant Krystle Mitchell in breaking rank over criticism of how directions from the state’s chief health officer are being enforced.

In Australia, chief health officers have emergency powers under the Biosecurity Security Act 2015 to make and impose public health orders in attempts to protect human health from COVID-19.