Pregnant mum arrested over Facebook post ‘inciting coronavirus protest’

A pregnant woman has been arrested in her own home over a Facebook post allegedly inciting anti-lockdown protest in Victoria.

Zoe Buhler, 28, was handcuffed in her lounge room in front of her children and partner on Wednesday afternoon and charged with incitement.

Several officers entered the house in Miners Rest, Ballarat, northwest of Melbourne, with a search warrant and began reading the young mother her rights.

‘Excuse me, incitement for what, what on Earth? I’m in my pyjamas, my two kids are here,’ she said, clearly confused.

‘I have an ultrasound in an hour because I’m pregnant.’ 

Ms Buhler’s alleged offending post linked to a since-deleted ‘Freedom Day Ballarat’ event she created for 11am on Saturday on Sturt Street.

‘Anyone from Ballarat please join us in our fight for freedom and human rights!’ she wrote on Sunday with a link to the event page.

The increasingly distressed mother insisted she wasn’t breaking any laws by creating and then promoting the event. 

Zoe Buhler, 28, was handcuffed in her lounge room in front of her children on Wednesday afternoon and charged with incitement

‘Actually you are, that’s why we’re arresting you in relation to incitement,’ police replied.

Ms Buhler offered to delete the post as her boyfriend James Timmins tried to mediate while cradling their infant child in his arms.

‘How about she just doesn’t do the event? It’s not like she’s done it, she made a post,’ he said.

Police were unmoved, telling her: ‘You’ve already committed the offence.’ 

Ms Buhler was distressed by this point and crying so much she could barely tell officers that she ‘didn’t realise’ she was ‘doing anything wrong’ in making the online event.  

Police said they would seize all electronic devices in the house including those belonging to Mr Timmins and Ms Buhler’s sister.

Ms Buhler was charged with later incitement released on bail to face Ballarat Magistrates Court on January 25 next year.

Her friends and family were horrified when they learned of the arrest via a Facebook post.

‘This is absolutely disgusting!! Why don’t they do their job and catch some real criminals. This fear mongering is ridiculous,’ one friend said.

‘This cannot be legal,’ another added.  

Mother-of-two Ms Buhler with her boyfriend James Timmins, who filmed her being arrested

Mother-of-two Ms Buhler with her boyfriend James Timmins, who filmed her being arrested

Ms Buhler allegedly created this event for Saturday at 11am on Sturt Street in Ballarat

Ms Buhler allegedly created this event for Saturday at 11am on Sturt Street in Ballarat

A spokeswoman for Victoria Police told Daily Mail Australia anybody thinking of ‘attending the protest… can expect a swift and firm response from police.’

‘We will have no hesitation in issuing $1,652 fines to anyone who is breaching the restrictions on the day, or making arrests if necessary.’ 

Regional Victorian towns like Ballarat are spared the ultra-tough Stage Four lockdown but are still in Stage Three, making it illegal for more than two people to gather.

Police consider any protests to be in breach of these rules and have proved willing to arrest anyone organising or encouraging any gatherings.

Victoria Police claimed the protest would put lives at risk and anyone who showed up would be fined or arrested. 

Radio king-turned Sky News pundit Alan Jones was so enraged by seeing the video of Ms Buhler’s arrest that he called on Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to resign.

‘Thankfully I am not the only Australian who thinks this is appalling, disgusting and disgraceful,’ he wrote in a rant to his Facebook page after Daily Mail Australia published the video.

‘The only person guilty of incitement is the Premier of Victoria.

‘His outlandish grab for power, his disdain of any accountability is forcing people to behaviour simply designed to take back their freedom.’ 

Ms Buhler's alleged offending post linked to a since-deleted 'Freedom Day Ballarat' event she created

Ms Buhler’s alleged offending post linked to a since-deleted ‘Freedom Day Ballarat’ event she created

Ms Buhler offered to delete the post but was told she had already committed an offence

Ms Buhler offered to delete the post but was told she had already committed an offence

Angry Alan Jones backs up Zoe Lee

Radio king-turned Sky News pundit Alan Jones was so enraged by seeing the video of Ms Buhler’s arrest that he called on Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to resign.

He posted this comment to his Facebook page after seeing the video after Daily Mail Australia was the first to publish it. 

DANIEL ANDREWS SHOULD RESIGN TONIGHT

Thankfully I am not the only Australian who thinks this is appalling, disgusting and disgraceful.

A pregnant woman, forced into tears, handcuffed in her pyjamas, in front of her children, I think it is in Ballarat, for ‘incitement’.

The only person guilty of incitement is the Premier of Victoria.

His outlandish grab for power, his disdain of any accountability is forcing people to behaviour simply designed to take back their freedom.

This woman is a victim of the appalling and unlimited powers given to the Victorian police.

Everyone knew it would come to this. You can only push people so far.

Wherein lies the violence in what you see here? The violence towards a pregnant mother is the like of which no Australian will tolerate.

Go Daniel Andrews and go now before more damage is done.

Ms Buhler’s event coincided with what coronavirus conspiracy theorists and general anti-lockdown activists have dubbed ‘Freedom Day’.

Similar events have popped up around Melbourne as anger grows over its draconian Stage Four lockdown that won’t end until at least September 13.

Police have vowed to quash the protests after weekend demonstrations in Dandenong and have arrested several other organisers.

Three police officers even came to the door of a woman in southeast Melbourne and warned her about the possibility of incitement charges.

She had hours earlier made Facebook and Instagram posts encouraging Melburnians to take their allowed one hour of exercise at the same time.

Ms Buhler’s ‘peaceful protest’ even stressed that attendees follow restrictions like wearing masks and social distancing ‘so we don’t get arrested’.

‘As some of you may have seen, the government has gone to extreme measures and are using scare tactics through the media to prevent the Melbourne protest,’ the event page read.

Here in Ballarat we can be a voice for those is Stage Four lockdowns. We can be seen and hopefully make a difference!

‘End lockdowns! Stand for human rights! We live in a free country!’ 

A protest is being organised in Melbourne that aims to deft the strict stage four lockdown restrictions

A protest is being organised in Melbourne that aims to deft the strict stage four lockdown restrictions

Mr Andrews is facing mounting pressure to resign from his post amid the strict lockdown, particularly after he successfully extended the state of emergency by another six months.

The bill passed just before 2am on Wednesday in the Victorian Upper House, with 20 votes in favour and 19 against. 

The six-month extension was a compromise by Mr Andrews, who initially proposed a 12-month extension which was met with furious backlash from the public, civil rights groups and both sides of politics.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison directly asked Mr Andrews last week to reconsider his proposal and urged him to seek monthly or quarterly prolongments instead.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Mr Andrews had ‘a lot of questions to answer’.

‘I understand why Victorians are now very concerned by the Victorian government announcing yesterday that it wants to extend the emergency powers for another 12 months,’ Mr Frydenberg said.

‘I share those concerns, and the Victorian government has to explain its decision.

‘At the end of the day we will do everything to support Victorians get to the other side of this crisis, but the Victorian government has a lot of questions to answer.’

Most recently, ex-prime minister Tony Abbott criticised Australia’s handling of the crisis and accused Mr Andrews of wanting to extend a ‘health dictatorship’.

Mr Abbott questioned whether strict lockdowns have been proportionate to the health risks, and said he hoped international borders would reopen by Christmas.

Speaking at the Policy Exchange think tank in London on Tuesday, Mr Abbott blamed the ‘extraordinary ineptitude of the Victorian Government in the management of its hotel quarantine system’ for Australia’s outbreak.