Ethan Nash: TOTT News. Opinion.

Call me crazy, but something just doesn’t add up about today.

These are unprecedented days in Australia, a turning point in the nation’s history.

The utterly brutal crushing of dissent we have seen in Melbourne in the past few days is accompanied by an all of government attempt to control a narrative already slipping from their grasp, be it the censorship, blocking or algorithmic downplay of social media outlets to the even worse than usual obsequious and by omission extremely dishonest drivel emanating from legacy media.

Ninety arrested, yet no live streams?

Things were eerily quiet in the midst of Melbourne’s week of protests today.

Many media personalities are claiming that nothing occurred today – that protesters were simply scared off. Yet, on the other hand, reports circulated all day of disruptions, censorship and more.

Some protesters claimed it was in fact a rest day, after long and strenuous walking this week.

Call me crazy, but something just doesn’t add up about today.

Here are a few red flags that emerged today that had Australia talking today.

RED FLAG #1 – MEDIA BLACKOUT

Announcement..

Late yesterday afternoon, Victoria Police banned media organisations from taking aerial footage of protests against vaccination passport mandates, in a major blow to the freedom of the press.https://videopress.com/embed/TtYCO1CQ?preloadContent=metadata&hd=1

News organisations would have to apply to the police force to be permitted to fly their helicopters inside 250km, and a blanket ban was originally placed on live broadcasts.

Police claimed protesters were using the live aerial footage to learn the location of officers.

A number of news personalities expressed concerns, including Nine’s national director of news and current affairs, who appeared on 3AW to comment:

“We’re not a police state, it’s very unprecedented, and it’s very uncomfortable the decision that’s been made. We need to cover [protests]. We live in an open, free society, we’re a democracy. We allow these basic freedoms to disappear now, what comes next?”

Nine was not the only channel voicing their thoughts on this drastic announcement:

This morning, it was announced that the police would taken to court over these actions:

The restriction was altered after the media raised concerns of overreach.

Media in court all day..

In court today, the police caved to the criticism and included a provision for news organisations.

While the media will be allowed to fly over the inner city, they will still be required to get approval from the police, and any footage captured must air at least an hour late.

“As part of the conditions, pilots will need to obtain approval from Victoria Police air wing before taking off, to ensure there are no safety risks,” a spokeswoman said.

“Media outlets will also be required to delay publishing any live-stream footage from the air by 60 minutes or at the conclusion of the operation. This is because protesters were actively monitoring aerial live streams, compromising the police operation and putting the safety of members at risk.”

Why were the media tied up in this court case today? Will this trial add further barriers?

Only totalitarian regimes introduce no-fly zone measures in their country, and even with slight adjustment, media organisations are still in a tricky position as we move forward.

So, if the media were caught up today, what about citizen media on the ground?

The picture quickly begins to unravel.

RED FLAG #2 – STREAMERS BEING DELETED?

If you were looking for a reliable live stream today, you were not alone.

Traditional livestreaming personalities were nowhere to be seen — not even recording emptiness in the city — while those that were attempting to film were mysteriously disappearing:

A number of comments on the TOTT News Facebook page also raised these concerns.

‘Where is the coverage?’, ‘why can’t we see anything?’ – both common questions.

Citizen journalist ‘Melbourne Detective’ also claimed to have his page removed for streaming:https://videopress.com/embed/VxHLGUAG?preloadContent=metadata&hd=1

I was perplexed by this.

Even if one person showed up and got arrested, it is the duty of the media to be there.

Where is everyone? Are these claims true?

At that moment, I began looking at telecommunications maps to find out what was going on:

RED FLAG #3: – SIGNALS EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS

After an hour into the protest day, and no footage to be found, it was time to check how signals were going in the area. Here are a few screenshots from approximately 11:30am this morning:

Let’s also not forget that police deployed a counter-terrorism ‘bearcat‘ yesterday, which has a plate on top that has the ability to disrupt signals and counter IED threats.

Why was all of this occurring? Why was this day so radically different from others?

I continued to search social media and alternative platforms all day – only to be met by old footage of yesterday’s events, other people also asking questions and general suspicion in the air.

It wasn’t until later in the afternoon that figures began to emerge to talk about what happened.

RED FLAG #3 – CLAIMS OF NOBODY THERE

Conflicting narratives..

The news claim that protests had lost their steam today in their 6pm bulletins:

Yet, journalists are quoting Victoria Police in reporting that over 90 people were arrested:

This is more people arrested today than were arrested on Monday:

‘Does this make any sense?’, some are asking TOTT News.

It seems like we will never know – as the events of today were very quiet.

To corroborate, we are also hearing this narrative from other independent media personalities:

An hour prior to the announcement that 92 people were arrested, Real Rukshan — who has gained worldwide exposure for his efforts on the ground — posted that he did not see any activity.

He was in the city from 12pm, according to his own words:

Given that he has become such a staple media personality during these protests, this posting has already fuelled wild conspiracies on Twitter.

‘Why was Rukshan inactive all day, before arriving at 4:00pm?’

‘Wouldn’t he be streaming the police and the city today?’.

These are some of the questions currently in response to Rukshan’s post:

Was Rukshan aware of some of the points highlighted in this piece?

It would be great to get his thoughts on blockers and media blackouts.

Many people are raising questions over a lack of commentary on the ground.

Some have highlighted Australia’s recent passing of controversial hacking legislation, which allows authorities to access online account, and add, modify and/or delete data if they wish.

They have also noted how some pro-choice comments were disappearing yesterday from his account livestream, while those those that gave criticism remained:https://videopress.com/embed/A6wSQi23?preloadContent=metadata&hd=1https://videopress.com/embed/UQFr4JrK?preloadContent=metadata&hd=1

Could this all be a coincidence? Perhaps so, perhaps not.

Again, this is all topical food for thought, ladies and gentlemen.

If Rukshan is reading this, it is perhaps in his best interest to address these concerns on camera.

Perhaps he just didn’t see anything after all.

Is he aware of the comment situation reported by users?

Either way, it would be great to get his perspective on this, as well as the 90+ protesters that were arrested, and the blackouts that have been imposed on the city – both today and moving forward.

Or any journalist on the ground, for that matter. Where is Avi?

Although, Rebel News is technically classified as mainstream media, so they might be subject to the same restrictions that Channel 9 and others would have.

COMMENTS

I am not here to suggest or imply anything, but simply to present those with questions a voice to have their concerns raised. I am one of those people with many questions.

The final part of this piece is not meant to cause any division, but instead, is published with intent to strengthen all parties involved against the prying eyes of Big Brother.

If something is indeed happening, either in Melbourne, with accounts or more, it is important to fix.

Not for any type of protest, but as a matter of privacy, press freedom and access to technology.

It is also a reminder to always keep your eyes and ears open for suspicions.

Counter-terrorism are on the ground and seem to feel like they can do whatever they wish, as can be confirmed by scenes witnessed late afternoon:https://videopress.com/embed/ZDBKGCaN?preloadContent=metadata&hd=1

These were the last scenes witnessed on Wednesday — and now this today?

Very strange times indeed.

Either way, what was the outcome of this proclamation that ‘nobody was there’?

The masses are now laughing at the protest movement — claiming that the group is ‘soft’ and ‘clearly never were workers’ if they couldn’t handle four days of marching:

Yet, over 90 people were arrested, and most have no idea of how to confirm this.

These types of blackouts don’t sit well. A dystopian feel surrounds today’s events.

As mentioned earlier, if even one person was arrested, the media should be there to hold the police force accountable for their actions and to document the events.

Many things don’t add up about today, and given the tense scenes we are witnessing in Australia, can you blame people for being suspicious?

Either myself with blackouts and telecommunications, or the public with media censorship.

Let’s hope this is a one-off event. But keep your eyes peeled.

We were able to receive footage of some individuals being arrested in the city, including the following scenes which show a man in a trade uniform be manhandled this morning.

What about the other 91 protesters?

Perhaps I just care a little too much.

What are your thoughts?

Should the conspiracy theories be kept at bay? Or should they be addressed?

What were your experiences today?

Stay vigilant, Australia.

Some have highlighted Australia’s recent passing of controversial hacking legislation, which allows authorities to access online account, and add, modify and/or delete data if they wish.

They have also noted how some pro-choice comments were disappearing yesterday from his account livestream, while those those that gave criticism remained.

Could this all be a coincidence? Perhaps so, perhaps not.

Again, this is all topical food for thought, ladies and gentlemen.

If Rukshan is reading this, it is perhaps in his best interest to address these concerns on camera.

Perhaps he just didn’t see anything after all.

Is he aware of the comment situation reported by users?

Either way, it would be great to get his perspective on this, as well as the 90+ protesters that were arrested, and the blackouts that have been imposed on the city – both today and moving forward.

Or any journalist on the ground, for that matter. Where is Avi?

Although, Rebel News is technically classified as mainstream media, so they might be subject to the same restrictions that Channel 9 and others would have.

COMMENTS

I am not here to suggest or imply anything, but simply to present those with questions a voice to have their concerns raised. I am one of those people with many questions.

The final part of this piece is not meant to cause any division, but instead, is published with intent to strengthen all parties involved against the prying eyes of Big Brother.

If something is indeed happening, either in Melbourne, with accounts or more, it is important to fix.

Not for any type of protest, but as a matter of privacy, press freedom and access to technology.

It is also a reminder to always keep your eyes and ears open for suspicions.

Counter-terrorism are on the ground and seem to feel like they can do whatever they wish, as can be confirmed by scenes witnessed late afternoon:https://videopress.com/embed/ZDBKGCaN?preloadContent=metadata&hd=1

These were the last scenes witnessed on Wednesday — and now this today?

Very strange times indeed.

Either way, what was the outcome of this proclamation that ‘nobody was there’?

The masses are now laughing at the protest movement — claiming that the group is ‘soft’ and ‘clearly never were workers’ if they couldn’t handle four days of marching:

Yet, over 90 people were arrested, and most have no idea of how to confirm this.

These types of blackouts don’t sit well. A dystopian feel surrounds today’s events.

As mentioned earlier, if even one person was arrested, the media should be there to hold the police force accountable for their actions and to document the events.

Many things don’t add up about today, and given the tense scenes we are witnessing in Australia, can you blame people for being suspicious?

Either myself with blackouts and telecommunications, or the public with media censorship.

Let’s hope this is a one-off event. But keep your eyes peeled.

We were able to receive footage of some individuals being arrested in the city, including the following scenes which show a man in a trade uniform be manhandled this morning:https://videopress.com/embed/eB6oRmX2?preloadContent=metadata&hd=1

What about the other 91 protesters?

Perhaps I just care a little too much.

What are your thoughts?

Should the conspiracy theories be kept at bay? Or should they be addressed?

What were your experiences today?

Stay vigilant, Australia.