Anti-vaccine mandate protesters have moved to Exhibition Park in Canberra after police removed tents and vehicles from an illegal campsite on the Patrick White Lawns.
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This comes as a 44-year-old male protester was arrested after police found a loaded modified rifle in his vehicle. No arrests were made in relation to crowd behaviour.
Protesters are reportedly travelling down Northbourne Avenue, delaying traffic and honking horns with some people leaving their vehicles and waving with red ensign flags. The flag has been co-opted by the Sovereign Citizen movement - a group who believe laws do not apply to them.
About 100 police officers, including a specialist response group and Australian Federal Police, converged on the original campsite site on Friday morning and began removing swags, tents and chairs.
A total of four vehicles have been towed with others leaving the site voluntarily. A small amount of camping and other equipment was also seized by police.
The Canberra Times understands a number of people within the group splintered off on Thursday night with plans to head to the camping grounds at EPIC.
By Friday morning, many campers forcibly vacated from the Patrick White Lawns site said they intended to head to the new location.
The campsite at EPIC costs $35 per night for an unpowered site with 109 spaces available. It is unclear whether the camp has reached capacity at this time.
While the camp has now been cleared, leaders of the movement said they planned to "hold the line" and remain at the site until at least next week.
To clear the site police moved in a line from Parkes Way westward and methodically removed vehicles and camping equipment in 10- to 15-metre increments.
On Friday morning, police issued a warning that illegal camping equipment and illegally parked vehicles from the site set up on the lawns behind the National Library would be removed.
They urged those in the area to move their equipment and vehicles when asked to do so. Items that are not moved may be seized by police, they said.
Police issued the warning for the campers at 7.30am after scenes turned ugly on Wednesday when a woman allegedly obstructed the pathway of a police officer and appeared to be lightly shoved aside. Three people were arrested and faced charges.
A police presence to the camp's entry was maintained for most of Thursday with officers forming a line to prevent additional vehicles from entering into the site.
The Canberra Times understands the group - part of an international Millions March Against Mandatory Vaccination movement - are planning on staying in the nation's capital until at least Tuesday, February 8, when Federal Parliament returns for its first sitting week of the year.
The group is a loosely structured coalition of the anti-vaccination movement, religious groups and other fringe and conspiracy-driven ideological groups.
ACT Policing would like to thank the community for their patience while multiple road closures and diversions were in place today. Due to planned and unplanned events in the area, traffic disruptions may continue to occur in the Parliamentary Triangle area in the coming days, they said.
ACT Policing have confirmed that peaceful protesting in the Parliamentary Triangle is permitted, however camping and parking without authority is not.
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