Things are not going well in Australia. The once ostensibly democratic country has been the scene of some of the strictest, most irrational lockdown policies of the entire pandemic. And while their neighbor, New Zealand, has gone absolutely insane (including locking down over a single COVID case), the Aussies are right there with them.

RedState has reported on past acts of tyranny, including police beating people for refusing to comply with draconian, nonsensical mitigation measures. These latest videos are the worst we’ve seen, though. The protests are getting larger and more violent.

Here’s a stampede occurring as protesters break through the police line of defense.

JUST 🚨 Chaotic scenes as protesters break through police barricades in Melbourne, Australia #Melbourneprotest #sydneyprotest pic.twitter.com/vHOXIjtpav

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) August 21, 2021

Australians have had ENOUGH!!!! pic.twitter.com/2dz32fmOve

— Sana Ayesha (@sanaayesha__) August 21, 2021

You’d think you were watching a scene from some Middle Eastern dictatorship, but no, this is Australia, and the people have obviously had enough. Police are seen assaulting protesters as they break through the lines, and people begin to run down the street. The newscaster on the first video admits that people have been pushed over the edge and are now lashing out.

But can you blame them?

There is no rationale behind locking down every time there’s a single or even a few hundred COVID cases — in a country of 25 million people. That’s not a sustainable strategy, because zero COVID is not possible. Human beings are not robots. They have emotional, physical, and mental needs, all of which are being ignored by the Australian government as it continues to violate the rights of its citizens.

Social interaction and a semblance of freedom are required to function properly. At some point, the existence of risk no longer becomes the dominant factor, and that point has long since passed ‘down under.’ You cannot just lock people in their homes indefinitely.

Yes, I understand vaccination rates are low, but that’s the fault of the Australian government for failing to get a largely compliant populace what they need. For the most part, Aussies aren’t like Americans. They have tolerated tyranny under the guise of protecting their neighbors. But the situation has become untenable. There is no excuse to still have a shortage of vaccines, in a Western democracy with direct ties to the United States and the United Kingdom.

That failure should not continue to be placed on the shoulders of the people who are being abused. Australians have had enough, and things are only going to get uglier if things don’t change. You can only push people so far before they push back.