Australia: Pregnant woman livestreams arrest over anti-lockdown event

Australian police handcuffed a pregnant woman and confiscated her family's electronic devices after she posted on Facebook about an anti-lockdown event, according to a viral video viewed millions of times. 

The woman, 28, was charged with incitement — a crime in Australia in which an offender encourages others to break the law, according to a statement from Victoria Police.

The Guardian and Yahoo News have identified the woman as Zoe Buhler. The Guardian reports she created an event on Facebook for a protest critical of the region's ongoing coronavirus lockdown. Police in the region has arrested multiple such organizers in a crackdown, the publication reports. 

"Any gathering of this nature is in blatant breach of the Chief Health Officer's directions and puts Victorian lives at risk," Victoria Police's statement says. "Those still thinking of attending the protest in Ballarat on Saturday can expect a swift and firm response from police."

Buhler's has falsely called the coronavirus pandemic "the biggest hoax on earth" on Facebook and criticized lockdowns for preventing the spread of the virus.

View this post on Instagram

Police burst into a family home in #Victoria with a search warrant after an expectant mother allegedly incited an anti-lockdown #protest online. A #viral video shows the moment the woman, still in her pajamas, tells the officers she has an ultrasound in an hour as they put her in #cuffs. The 28-year-old was charged with incitement for a #Facebook post, calling for a socially distanced ‘Freedom Day’ #rally against the state’s #coronavirus restriction measures. Now, she will have to stand trial at the Ballarat Magistrates’ Court in January next year. The video sparked a major backlash online, with the term ‘fascism’ popping up regularly in the comments.

A post shared by RT (@rt) on Sep 2, 2020 at 1:02pm PDT