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Monica Smit (R) at the Canberra freedom rally in solidarity with Canada's Freedom Convoy.Reignite Democracy Australia

MELBOURNE, Australia (LifeSiteNews) — In what appears to be another move towards militarized suppression of legal protests in Australia, there are troubling indications that the February 12 Canberra Convoy demonstrations, the biggest in Australia’s history, were targeted by sonic weapons. If so, it amounts to an outrageous attack by the government on its people.

I would also like to note that it’s possible some of the symptoms people are experiencing could have been a result just of extended sun exposure and dehydration. There is no proof that these weapons have caused any short- or long-term health issues; however, the fact they were there is concerning enough. Are officials trying to scare peaceful protesters from coming back? Are they using these weapons simply to cause confusion and worry?

During a senate committee, two Australian senators, Malcolm Roberts and Alex Antic, asked Reece Kershaw, Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police, if an LRAD machine (a long range acoustic device) had been used against protesters.

Kershaw first tried to dodge Roberts’ question, saying: “[T]hat would be something about police methodology that we would have to look at [as] some sort of public interest immunity claim.”

Roberts responded by saying “Surely it would be in the public interest that they were there.” Kershaw did not have a reply to that so said he would “have to take that on notice” and get advice.

Antic then held up images of what looks like an LRAD machine, and asked Kershaw the same question, noting that LRAD devices are “designed to pitch sound at long range and can cause some pretty serious injury.” The senator then asked: “You can’t confirm, given that photo, that that device was deployed on the day?” He was told from the chair that the question had been taken on notice. Kershaw was not forthcoming.

Later, another senator, Craig Kelly, tweeted that he had put the same question to the Speaker of the House: “Were sonic weapons (Long-Range Acoustic Devices) used against peaceful freedom protesters? And just listen to the ignorant abuse & mindless ridicule that I received for asking this question.”

 

These are dark times for Australia. So called ‘public servants’ have become practiced in doing the absolute opposite of serving the public. Expectations are accordingly low that the Australian Federal Police will tell the truth about anything, let alone that they resorted to such measures. Kershaw, having unsuccessfully tried to use the excuse that the ways of the police should be kept secret from public eyes, no doubt took the question ‘on notice’ in order to give his people time to spin and muddy the waters.

That won’t be easy. The image held up by Antic looks very much like a sonic weapon. Even if it were not turned on, the fact that it was there at all means the police were positioning to treat ordinary Australians protesting against the loss of their civil liberties, especially the right to make their own health choices, as enemy combatants.

It is yet another indication of the degradation of basic freedoms in this country, destroyed by out-of-control government bureaucracies. As one person commented on Twitter, “Police are there to protect and serve the public, not cause harm to them.”

Would that it were so. Over the last two years, the police have become adept at causing harm to Australian citizens who dare to protest. The documentary Battleground Melbourne has meticulously recorded just how violent they were in my hometown, including—bizarrely—using armoured vehicles against unarmed protesters in the CBD (central business district). What appears to have happened in Canberra is an extension of the same type of military thinking.

The media is dutifully churning out government propaganda in an attempt to suppress the story. The Canberra Times labelled the accusation a ‘conspiracy theory’, that tired and increasingly redundant smear. Anyone who has been watching events over the last two years will have noticed that what is called a conspiracy routinely ends up becoming a confirmed fact not long after.

The state media, the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), acknowledged that the weapon existed but ludicrously claimed it was used only to broadcast messages. If that were the case, why did Kershaw take the question on notice? And why would you use a weapon when a conventional PA would do? The ABC also contended, without evidence, that “claims made by Canberra protesters that the use of the devices caused them to feel ill are likely incorrect.” And they know this how?

At this point, there is absolutely no reason to trust what government politicians, the media, public servants, and the police say. There are reports that the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) police have confirmed the use of the weapons. There is compelling visual evidence that there was a weapon directed at people involved in Australia’s largest ever political demonstration. Many people reported feeling ill and nauseous, suggesting that it was used. But the fact that it was there at all shows how far Australia’s democracy has fallen.

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Monica Smit has been on the front line of Australia’s fight for freedom since August 2020. Most recently she is internationally recognized as Australia’s first political prisoner. She spent 22 days in solitary confinement for refusing to sign draconian bail conditions. The conditions were appealed and revoked. She is now free to continue her work.  
  
Monica founded an organization called ‘Reignite Democracy Australia’, which now offers a business directory, a social media platform, and 100 community groups around the country, and keeps Australians informed every day with current news and resources.  
  
She’s also working closely with political parties who respect human rights in the upcoming federal election. 

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