Folk singer Ziggy Alberts claims Melbourne’s mask rules ‘strips Australians of their basic rights’

Folk singer Ziggy Alberts has faced intense backlash after claiming Melbourne‘s new rules on wearing face masks in public ‘strip Australians of their basic human rights’.

Following a surge of COVID-19 cases, residents of metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire will be required to wear a mask from 11:59 pm on Wednesday and will be fined $200 if they are caught in public spaces without one.

And in a series of deeply insensitive Instagram Stories uploaded on Sunday night, Ziggy, 26, claimed the new regulations reminded him of Nazi-occupied Europe, adding: ‘There’s no way I’m going to endorse or encourage mandatory face masks or lockdowns in a free country.’ 

It’s been another horror day for the coronavirus outbreak in Victoria with 275 new cases recorded on Monday.

However, Ziggy was undeterred in his views, claiming: ‘I’m in complete opposition of the government’s decision to introduce mandated face masks in Melbourne when all it does is strips Australians of their basic rights in what is supposed to be a free society.’

Offering context as to where he was coming from, the folk singer continued: ‘It’s really quite simple. My mother and her family escaped communism in Hungary as a child to come to Australia.

‘My great grandfather hid a Jewish family and an American pilot during Nazi rule in Holland and was killed for doing so. For trying to keep innocent people safe.

‘Our country is no longer free when you can’t leave your house or face fines for not wearing something over your mouth when you try to leave.’

‘Please put aside your fear and consider if you are willing to make these basic freedoms a subject of government consent. I’m not, and I’m not willing to force that upon anyone else.’

Ziggy’s views on mandatory mask rulings copped significant criticism with people rushing to share their thoughts on Twitter:

‘NOT ziggy alberts comparing having to wear a mask to being under nazi dictatorship.’

‘LOL. Can we talk about Ziggy Alberts saying “It’s really that simple” before making the most outlandish comparison of wearing masks to communist dictatorship and Nazi rule. So simple.’

‘Ziggy Alberts, my dude, if you’re so worried about human rights violations, maybe use your platform to talk about how we treat people in offshore detention centres, not the fact that the government is asking people to wear masks to save their own lives.’

‘Ziggy alberts dude… jumping on your Instagram platform with 200k+ followers and spreading misinformation about mask-wearing and immuno-compromised people is dangerous, uncompassionate and insensitive.’

‘Ziggy Alberts trying to relate wearing face masks to hiding Jews during the Holocaust is all kinds of messed up.’

Ziggy, who has also made his views on anti-vaxxing and anti-5G clear in recent months, was also compared to controversial celebrity chef, Pete Evans.

One said: ‘Ziggy Alberts heading towards Pete Evans areas here. I like how he says there’s so many ways to protect people without masks or lockdowns but doesn’t actually elaborate on what they are.’