Police in Victoria, Australia, arrested outspoken political commentator Topher Field for “incitement” on Oct. 13.
One officer tells Field that they are arresting him for “incitement” and that they have previously notified him of the intended arrest via a phone call.
“I didn’t want to do it in front of your kids that’s all, out of respect for you and that kind of thing,” the officer says.
Field tells the officer that he needs to go and tell his wife that he is being arrested and proceeds to walk back into his home before telling Facebook live viewers, “Police here to take me down to the station, so I am going to head down with them and have a chat and see what they have to say.”
“Apparently [they are] telling me that I have been ‘inciting’ so … so we will see what the bail conditions are, that’s really what’s going to set the tone for what happens here going forward,” he continues.
“If the bail conditions are reasonable, then I might be out today. If they are unreasonable, then I may very well not be, so we'll see.”
He then asked viewers to “spread the word” about his arrest and “make sure everyone knows the police have now come and arrested me.”
The Epoch Times has contacted Victoria Police for comment.
Field announced Oct. 14 he was released from police custody.
An update on Facebook reads, “Yes I’m home! I slept in my own bed and slept very well. Thank you everyone for the outpouring of support and love, it is massively appreciated. I’ve been given 4 charges, 2 for incitement and 2 for breaching CHO orders, court date on Jan 19th. Police were courteous, bail conditions are minimal and won’t affect the documentary.”
Field is making a documentary about recent events in Melbourne amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Multiple people have recently been charged with incitement in relation to “anti-lockdown” protests in the state.
“If the inciting is acted on in accordance with the inciter’s intention, the inciter is guilty of the indictable offence of incitement,” the act states.
Following Field’s arrest, citizen journalist Rukshan Fernando—who has been documenting the COVID-19 protests across Melbourne—took to Facebook where he said the incident highlighted that, “this is what our country has come to.”
“And we continue to see this, we continue to see our country go down this path and it’s not healthy. We’ve seen it in Victoria previously with the arrest of Monica Smit.”
A Victoria Police spokesperson confirmed to 7News that a woman had been charged following an investigation into alleged online incitement, encouraging others to breach health orders.
“She held her ground, she stayed in prison and she got her bail conditions changed, and now she’s able to freely speak” Fernando said.
“You’re finding again, with this arrest of Topher Field, they’re [the police] coming after people who are being vocal, who are talking about these issues, who are raising questions that some of the media will not cover,” he said.
“The police and the government want you to believe that everyone is on side, that everyone shares the same single view, they do not want political dissent, they do not want criticism, they definitely don’t want protest,” Fernando added.
Field’s arrest comes as the Victorian government has been taking a hard line against protests over COVID-19 mandates, while lockdown restrictions continue to remain in place across metropolitan Melbourne and parts of regional Victoria.
Earlier this month, Australians took to the streets in Melbourne after the government announced a sweeping COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all “authorised workers.”
The requirement covers a vast range of professions spanning 1 million to 1.25 million people in Victoria. The vaccination deadline is separate from another deadline that’s being imposed on those working in aged care, health care, construction, education, and freight.
Victorian residents marched along Southbank Boulevard in downtown Melbourne and the track around the Royal Botanic Gardens. Participants carried a large white banner with the word “Freedom” and voiced their dissent against vaccine mandates, lockdowns, and the current state government.
The state continues to urge people to take the COVID-19 vaccine, and has promised to ease restrictions once 80 percent of people are fully vaccinated.
