5/7/2023 0 Comments Australia lockdown 2021![]() Its main Telegram channel group has been active since at least 4 September 2020. The Melbourne Freedom Rally channel appears to be the originator of the local Freedom Rally network, with a presence on a broad array of platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Gab and Discord. ![]() In general, Freedom Rally channels followed a similar organising principle, with one announcements channel and one chat group. Of the Freedom Rally Telegram channels set up for each major Australian city that we analysed, only the Perth channel was created after the launch of the ‘World Wide Demonstration Official’ channel on 18 February 2021. Unlike the selection of international Telegram channels examined by Logically, Australia-focused Telegram channels organised under the name ‘Freedom Rally’ were largely created before February 2021. This activity aligned with sharp increases in the number of unique accounts posting in the worldwide Freedom Rally Telegram discussion channel (see chart below). Telegram accounts associated with Freie Bürger Kassel also promoted the 24 July protest, and its graphics were replicated across Australian groups. Logically analysed 20 ‘World Wide Demonstration’ protest Telegram groups and found that at least 13 of them were set up in the same hour on 28 February and began with similar messages. Dashed lines mark the dates 20 March, 15 May and 24 July on which World Wide Rally for Freedom events were held.Īn investigation by the fact-checking organisation Logically suggested that the World Wide Rally for Freedom protests in March and May were ‘astroturfed’ by an organisation in Germany known as Freie Bürger Kassel (Free Citizens of Kassel). The chart below shows the number of posts with this hashtag on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram between April and August 2021. Global anti-lockdown protests have continued, often under the broad brand of the World Wide Rally for Freedom and the hashtag #WewillALLbethere. In 2020, during its second lockdown, Melbourne experienced demonstrations in September and November. We analysed data on seven group discussion channels on which most of the activity appears to have taken place.Īnti-lockdown protests have occurred often during the pandemic. On Telegram, users can set up ‘groups’ to chat or ‘channels’ to broadcast messages. All told, Australian ‘Freedom Rally’ channels had almost 20,000 subscribers, although there’s likely to be significant crossover. The largest ‘World Wide’ channel had more than 72,000 subscribers by 5 August 2021. The analysis was not intended to be exhaustive, but looked at channels organising under the banner of ‘Freedom Rally’ or ‘World Wide Demonstration’. The messaging app Telegram appears to have played an important role in facilitating coordination of protests and dissemination of material between global and domestic accounts.ĪSPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre has examined 12 Australian Telegram public discussion and announcement channels on which protest planning took place and two international channels. The demonstrations attracted a broad range of protesters and were promoted across chat and social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Presented as demonstrations against Australia’s pandemic restrictions, the protests were also branded as part of a ‘World Wide Rally for Freedom’, leading to speculation about the relationship between domestic events and a global movement. On 24 July 2021, anti-lockdown protests across Australia led to chaotic scenes and arrests.
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