Resistance To Tyranny: 50 Years On

So proud to be part of this MASSIVE freedom rally:

Big crowds, colourful characters, spirited chanting, plenty of placards, energetic marches, large rallies, defying the system and standing up against corrupt authorities. That was once a big part of my life. It seems it may be once again – well over a half century later. Let me explain.

Yesterday I joined in what was called the largest protest march in Melbourne, if not in all of Australia. Various numbers have been suggested for Saturday’s march for freedom: 100,000, 200,000, 300,000, even 400,000. Of course the derelict lamestream media did little to cover it, and said idiotic things like 10,000 showed up. Yeah right, I was there. It was the biggest event I have ever been at in Australia.

I have been to the MCG with 75,000 footy fans, and that does not compare to what I experienced yesterday. And other cities around the nation also had very large and peaceful marches for freedom and an end to tyranny. I am happy to say that at the very least 200,000 were at the Melbourne rally, and easily a half million folks around the nation.

It was a glorious day indeed in Melbourne. Ideal weather conditions, a peaceful and passionate march from Parliament House to Flagstaff Gardens, and then rousing speeches to a HUGE crowd of supporters. All sorts of people were there: young and old, black and white, families and singles, long-hair and straight, conservative and liberal, etc.

All were united to stand for freedom and resist despotic governments and power-drunk politicians and leaders. Chants and songs, beach balls bouncing around, spontaneous outbursts and singing and even prayers, people hugging each other, being nice to each other, and even wafts of marijuana smoke were there – hey, I still recognise that smell from over 50 years ago! And no, I did not have any yesterday!

It was all very much Woodstock-like. It really did take me back – it was deja vu. It did remind me of my old hippy days: marching for freedom, resisting tyranny, large rallies with speeches and songs, people of all sorts being there with a common purpose. Of course back then I was not a Christian, but I did have a sense of justice, and a passion to find and proclaim truth while standing against injustice.

Back then we were against Big Brother Statism, against unaccountable and irresponsible governance, and against a political system that was unresponsive to the needs of the people, and was hellbent on simply consolidating more power and control.

And that was what yesterday’s marches were all about as well. It seems I have almost come full circle. I still reject Statist overreach and out-of-control governments. As I told those with me yesterday, it felt like the old days – from very long ago. Then it was a long-haired teenager marching against a corrupt system, and now an old guy marching against a corrupt system.

As spontaneous shouts and songs about freedom erupted all over the place, I was reminded of Richie Havens singing “Freedom” at Woodstock on August 15, 1969. I told my friends that Havens made it up on the spot – an impromptu performance. Old folks might remember it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf1B9ktRCkg

So it all took me back – way back. But now I have a much better foundation for participating in marches like this. Indeed, instead of just loud and angry protests, we also had so many Christians there praying and worshipping God. Everywhere I looked I saw signs and placards featuring Bible verses and scriptural truths. We did not just come to protest – we came to pray.

People power and God power is the necessary combination to pull down strongholds and defeat evil, as I wrote about recently: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2021/11/13/pulling-down-strongholds-and-evil-rulers/

So it was an amazing day with amazing people with amazing passion and desire to take back our liberties that were stolen away from us by Andrews. Yet “ugly thugs” was all that Despot Dan could say about these hundreds of thousands of peaceful and joyous protesters. What a disgusting and vile man he is.

I have long been praying for this guy – either that he is wondrously saved, or that he is moved out of the way. It seems he had a heart of stone and is about as much in league with diabolical forces as one can get. I also am praying for his Labor colleagues that still just might have a shred of humanity left – a bit of conscience left.

Maybe when they see these mass marches they might realise that the gig is up. They might begin to understand that Andrews is a corrupt megalomaniac and buffoon, and it is no longer worthwhile to slavishly support him. It is time for Labor politicians with some civility, rationality and humanity to turn on this tyrant and give him the boot. Please pray to that end.

This was one of the most encouraging and hope-filled days I have had in the past 20 months. It looks like the tide is turning. There is a real shift. And a shift in the heavenlies results in shifts here in the political, social and cultural realms.

Zillions of pics and videos of the Melbourne march are now out there. Here is a powerful short video with an aerial view of the MASSIVE crowds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECNSVblfRPY

Here is a good compilation of the day’s activities: https://www.bitchute.com/video/WIzy09x566dT/

One more very short one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwZ4E_FCZTs

And a terrific two-minute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHxGlBM9V-8

And this is the great veteran John Murphy speaking to the crowd at Melbourne: https://www.dropbox.com/s/wabqypcccmas7pl/John%20Murphy%20video.mov

It was not just Melbournians coming in their tens of thousands: there were numerous busloads full of people who came in from rural Victoria. So this was a state-wide protest. The whole state has had enough of dictatorial lockdowns and assaults on our freedoms.

That is good news indeed. People are fed up with the health mandates, the forced injections, the discrimination and two-tiered system. They will not sit in silence and they will not be bullied by the autocrats and political power-trippers. They want their freedom. A half century ago we also marched for freedom. A yearning for freedom has long been a part of the human heart.

As G. K. Chesterton said in The Everlasting Man: “If there is one fact we really can prove, from the history that we really do know, it is that despotism can be a development, often a late development and very often indeed the end of societies that have been highly democratic. A despotism may almost be defined as a tired democracy. As fatigue falls on a community, the citizens are less inclined for that eternal vigilance which has truly been called the price of liberty; and they prefer to arm only one single sentinel to watch the city while they sleep.”

We all must stand up and be counted here. Who will join me at next week’s rally?

[1144 words]

36 Replies to “Resistance To Tyranny: 50 Years On”

  1. I was home watching it and praying. I was concerned there might have been violence, but it unrolled beautifully.
    It was amazing to watch, and it has given me some hope that things might be better soon.
    I too, have been praying that Dan Andrews is converted or removed. I think of Saul of Tarsus and his dramatic conversion to become Paul the apostle.

  2. Stateside the anti-jab protests in Europe captured more attention than Australia but they were more riotous though the acquittal of Kyle resulted in riots in several cities.

    Perhaps this question has been posed in Australia that was posed by an American nurse:

    “Why do the protected need to be protected from the unprotected by forcing the unprotected to use the protection that didn’t protect the protected in the first place?”

    Keep up your efforts.

  3. It was a privilege to be there with my beloved wife – it really felt like a moment in history. What was especially pleasant was the mood of the crowd – despite being so very large and so many different backgrounds and, despite in some ways united by something overwhelmingly negative – the overreach of the state into people’s lives – the mood of the crowd was buoyant and even fun. As part of a group regularly praying about for this, this aspect was especially an answer from God; the contrast in behaviour between the main crowd and the other so-called ‘ant-fascist’ protesters (that didn’t even appear to manage 500 people) was stark – Rukshan Fernandez, a polite Sri Lankan, was abused to a disturbing degree for merely turning up for a few minutes to film. It’s pretty easy to gauge who you would rather hang around with.

    For myself, the child of two parents who grew up in 1930s Germany, and a student of some of that period and understands properly how dark and wrong the direction of all this is, the day gave me considerable hope, but in the current climate of lies being proliferated so widely in big government, big media, big health and big tech, we must continue to put the pressure on; they will not give up so easily.

    I would hope also that many who claim to follow Christ would more objectively and correctly apply God’s principles for good governance and re-evaluate the situation. I’m sick of hearing the misapplications of Romans 13 from these people more concerned about tone than truth, let alone God’s commandments; they appear to not remember that just a few chapters later Paul is freely praising fellow Christians who accompanied him in prison. Running afoul of government was not unusual in the early church. But the missing component yesterday was churches more officially represented; the silence will not look good when history is written – what will their grandchildren think?

  4. Yes Mark it was an historic moment – a real turning point. It would not be amiss to compare it – at least somewhat – to the pics of the wall being pulled down by people power in 1989.

  5. Wow. Very encouraging. Richie Woodstock and Chesterton all in one post. You, brother, are at the peak of your game. May the Lord bless Australia.

  6. Thanks Christine. Yes, well with a quarter of a million people there in a very large area, the organisers needed a better PA system so we could all hear the speakers better. But they did a terrific job overall and I am very impressed at how well they did.

  7. I attended Sydney’s peaceful FREEDOM March. It was not a protest, there were no demonstrations. 150,000 est. Police were on every corner. The Police Commissioner today Sunday, reported that were there were no arrests, and no incident incidents reported. I was with a like minded Christain group. The pastor took his guitar, we sang Christian and Australian songs; in the train, as we walked and at Hyde Park, including the Christian version of Advance Australia Fair: Spirit of the Nation. My first time to attend such a march, returning on Saturday 27 Nov with extra people.

  8. Thanks Judith. Yes all over the nation peaceful protestors in the hundreds of thousands are telling our diabolical despots to get their grubby hands off our fundamental freedoms and liberties and basic human rights.

  9. I wish you and all Aussies the best of luck. The first thing to watch for is the reaction of Andrews. When animals feel threatened they are likely to lash out. Dictators and dictator want to be’s are often the same way. In Austria they are making the lockdown for the unvaxxed only. If Dan did that could opposition to him dwindle as the vaxxed would no longer be oppressed? Switching to open for vaxxed locked down still for unvaxxed could provide him the benefit of looking compassionate to those who are vaxxed (I feel your pain type of thing) and still scapegoat the unvaxxed and punish them.

  10. Thanks Bill
    I will pass this on to all my friends.
    In Adelaide we had 10,000 to 15,000. We need to keep growing.
    When – God willing – we win this battle against mandatory vax we need a royal commission in Australia into media ownership, exploring what forces have been operating to create such gross censorship and manipulation.
    SA Senator Alex Antic, who is opposing the mandatory stuff, spoke at our rally. He said he believed it was going to get worse before it gets better. I believe he’s right. We must keep pressing in. This is not just a political battle; it is a spiritual one, and it’s far from over.
    I have been saying the following for a little while to some of my family and friends:
    If I saw a home invasion happening in a neighbours house; and I knew for sure it was a home invasion; if when I went to my neighbours house to warn them and they refused to believe, and all of the neighbours a round, would I give up? No. I would not give up. I would do whatever it takes. If I knew without a doubt that a home invasion was in train, there no other moral or legitimate action to take. This is an analogy of the things currently occurring in our nation. My closest friends are those who can see the danger and want to help address it. Getting help to address this urgent need is the priority. Sadly, overwhelmingly the church is asleep. Currently, it is like the vast majority of the Lutheran Church in Nazi Germany. Let them sleep, unless you know how to quickly awaken them. (God willing these recent rallies will awaken a few.) But let’s not curse the darkness of those whose minds have the blinds down. Let’s move forward with those around us instead. Time is precious. My closest brother right now is the one who doing something to address the obvious danger; not denying it. This conflict is clearly about a lot more than vaccines.

  11. Attended the rally in Yeppoon on the Capricorn Coast with 4000 others very peaceful. The Livingstone Shire Council has started to show leadership supporting local businesses to not be discriminatory to either the vaccinated or the unvaccinated. You may have seen a link if you follow Reignite Democracy Australia on Telegram. It happened at the council meeting last Thursday night. Hopefully other councils around the country will follow their lead.

  12. How my spirit lifted after watching the videos, I couldn’t make the rally but will join next Saturday as I think this will continue for a while.
    Out for afternoon walk visiting my supermarket today, walking past Harvey Norman I had a pleasant chat with a young lady who was keeping guard at the door, I asked if I need a passport to enter, already knowing the answer I said I won’t be coming in as I refuse to show medical papers. She was nice, I asked if many people are getting angry with you because they need to be fully vaxxed, unfortunately her reply was yes. Funny thing is she didn’t like the rules either so we parted company blaming Dan Andrews. Next time your out shopping encourage those shopkeepers and security people who are enforcing these ridiculous lockouts, I suspect most are on our team.

    As a side note, any small non essential business owners on this blog? How about this for civil disobedience. Those in Victoria may remember Mr. Frank Penhalluriack a hardware store owner who took on the Victorian government in relation to trading hours on a Sunday. Milk bars, bookshops and service stations allowed to open but not hardware stores. (naturally Sunday trading has been a curse for church attendance but that’s a different story).
    Clever Frank sold his customers a book, same value as hardware and thru in the hardware items they required for free.
    So, if your a non essential service selling shoes for example, no need to check passports just have customers buy food (chocolate frogs would work for me!) and hand out the Julius Marlow’s for free.
    Frank did do time in prison, but the law was eventually changed. Bunnings owe it all to Frank Penhalluriack.

    Dallas James
    Shepparton

  13. Good to see the great awakening in progress! I love Anthony’s comment!

  14. Hi Bill
    I was so blessed to see this article.
    I am the the same age as you.
    Was an atheist, was a musician and loved watching Woodstock, but without the drugs, only alcohol.

    5 years later committed my life to Christ and have gone on strength to further strength in Christ.
    I have attended the Melbourne protests with my friends, Christian and non Christians.
    Can’t wait to come again this Saturday and praying that God will release us from this Satanic ungodly Dictator!

    Terry Hill NEW Gisborne

  15. You are right about Daniel Andrews. What I don’t get is why he seems to have the support of so many Victorians. And he knows it. Pray for an effective Opposition.

  16. Thanks Bill.
    I too was at the rally on Saturday – strange that we didn’t meet up since it was only a relatively small, “fringe element” crowd of “far right extremists”—that is, if you believe the MSM (Sarc.).
    While I was in the march from Parliament to Flagstaff, and being in the thick of it I didn’t realise how big it was, but when I saw last night the movie footage starting from Flagstaff Gardens all the way to Parliament House I was staggered at the numbers of people. And it was peaceful—cheering, chanting, happy and jovial, but all determined to see an end to tyranny. There were lots of Christians too, and placards with Biblical texts. There was one lady giving out copies of a book entitled “Power of Prayer”, which I received gratefully. Also, the Greek Orthodox community were out in force, since they have felt the brunt of the lockdowns and the Andrews tyranny quite acutely. Over all, it was a great experience and I was so glad to be there.
    On the sadder side, I met with a family (I think they were Baptists, but I’m not sure) who had been kicked out of their own church because of their unvaccinated status, and they had joined an underground church. He told me of many such gatherings popping up over the landscape. The I encountered a Catholic priest from Warragul (or somewhere near it) who had been instructed by his bishop (the bishop of Gippsland) to segregate his congregation according to vaccination status. He refused, and now meets with the unvaxxed folk in an “underground” venue. He was at the march with several of his congregation. Three cheers for him!

  17. Well done to all those who attended rallies! I went to my first one in Hobart. There were no police, thankfully. They were probably all needed to police masks and check in at the adjacent Salamanca Market. (I won’t be going there again). The MSM strolled by and were booed away. It was a fabulous day with music, speakers and for me, a chance to meet fellow Australia One Supporters.

  18. Dear Bill, Thank you for the article. I would have gone to the demonstration in Forest place Perth but I am 85 years old and have just had a hip replacement op [which was put off once because of McGowan’s lockdown] so I can’t stand for long or walk far but I have said plenty of prayers instead. Long live Christ the King!

    There was a small demonstration in a country town in the southwest a few days ago and Mark McGowan was silly enough to say he did not know what people are protesting about! As far as I know he hasn’t said anything about the demonstrations which took place in Forest Place but I bet he got an awful shock at the size of the turnout. Hopefully the tide is beginning to turn on these dictators.

    Of course it is to be expected that there will be people who will go too far. Not everyone is a conscientious Christian and some people are very angry. I mean the demonstrators with the gallows etc which the MSM played up as much as it could. Also I wouldn’t mind betting some troublemakers were planted in there to give the wrong impression. Anything is possible but politicians with an ounce of common sense will accept this massive display of people power and come to their senses and see that mandatory vaccinations will not work.

  19. At the rally it was noticeable Serbs and Croats coming together and walking arm in arm. Two nations who had tumultuous war in the 90s and were in the grips of hatred and violence coming together. Greeks and Turks as one, all ethnic groups, Muslims and Christians. Many came to Australia to escape war torn nations, persecution, communism and other forms of tyranny. Many Polish and Ukrainian people I know who came here decades ago are wondering where it all went wrong for Australia and how we have come to this.

    I have observed it has mostly been the Orthodox churches who have spoken up the most. Less so the protestant groups.

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