Conspiracy types often describe those who conform as being sheeple.
I know sheep. This afternoon I followed a ragtag (that’s putting it politely, I guarantee none completed high school, and I doubt few have jobs) bunch of maybe 50 “protesters”.
They weren’t protesting. There were no chants, no placards, no reason for being at St Kilda Beach in particular. No leadership, although multiple people were loud about which way they should go next. Like sheep they randomly followed whoever.
The police outnumbered them easily, and maybe the media did as well.
The police rounded them up, like sheep. Initially they picked off stragglers and arrested them – easy pickings. Then when they surrounded them, they approached each person who was closest, one at a time, calmly explained things to them, and arrested them. One at a time. This instance wasn’t a riot, but more like people seeking the infamy, not deterred by a $5000 fine they will never pay.
The police were organised, but they weren’t masterminds. They were sheepdogs responding to a single whistle. I was surprised at how many police were there to film things, dozens.
The police can be rough. It was informative to see it in person. The impression I got was that they won’t even touch you when arresting you, unless you give them reason to. That reason appears to be the vaguest hint of being antagonistic, maybe just saying “screw you”. They seemed to treat the protester’s phones like trash, tossing them away.