Under the lens: COVID-19, crowds, chaos and capsicum spray
On Day #230 of Melbourne’s COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, hundreds of anti-lockdown demonstrators marched from Richmond to Hawthorn, skirting police checkpoints blocking access to the city. The chaotic scenes sent shockwaves through an exhausted metropolis. By the time the crowds and the capsicum spray cleared, 10 police were injured, six taken to hospital and 235 demonstrators arrested. Photojournalist Sandra Sanders captured these images of the day.

A man driving past the Melbourne protest rally on Bridge Road, Richmond, flashes a peace sign at protestors. 18/09/21. Photo: Sandra Sanders