SYDNEY: Several thousand people took to Australia's streets protesting Covid-19 vaccination mandates, while smaller crowds gathered to support the measures that have elevated the country to be one of the most inoculated in the world.

Chanting 'Freedom, freedom' and carrying 'End Segregation Now' signs, several thousand anti-vaccination protesters marched through Melbourne's downtown, Australia's second-most populous city that was hit the hardest by the pandemic, Reuters reported.

Protesters also gathered in Sydney, Brisbane and other cities, with no immediate reports of unruly behaviour.