The anti-lockdown rallies that were staged across Australia and became potential super-spreader events had been planned on social media for weeks by conspiracy theorists.
Police had been monitoring encrypted messaging platform Telegram as early as May before the protests erupted in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide on Saturday.
Plans for a rally then gained momentum on Facebook and Instagram where word began to circulate in fringe social media groups that are rife with Covid-19 conspiracy theories and anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination sentiment.
One of the alleged organisers of the rally was Anthony Khallouf, who runs a website called Australians vs The Agenda.
The anti-lockdown rallies that were staged across Australia and became potential super-spreader events had been planned on social media for weeks by conspiracy theorists (pictured, protestor tackled on garden bed in Sydney)
Police had been monitoring encrypted messaging platform Telegram as early as May before the protests erupted in Sydney (pictured), Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide on Saturday
One of the organisers of the rally was Anthony Khallouf who runs a website called Australians vs The Agenda
The website vows to fight the 'socialist, communist, fascist state' as well as the Covid-19 'scam'.
He is currently facing incitement charges over his alleged role in protests in Melbourne last year.
'Sydney CBD takeover' began to trend while social media plotters shared links to UK conspiracy theorist David Icke, independent MP Craig Kelly and the Qanon movement.
Group chats on Telegram began to balloon and were divided into regions with as many as 2,300 Sydney residents and 3,800 Melburnians taking part in the online conversations.
A nation-wide group chat had also been set up with a staggering 11,000 members.
More than 3,500 protestors turned out to the Sydney rally with thousands more marching in Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane on Saturday.
Mr Khallouf praised the turnout, claiming there were more than 100,000 people.
'This was not only a slam dunk, it was a home run, a premiership team going from being 18 on the ladder to destroying Richmond by 100 points,' he told The Australian.
'It was such a crazy day; co-ordinating an event where there are more than 100,000 people all over the country protesting about the exact same thing, at the exact same time and pulling it off without any problems, is a very proud moment.'
Fears have been raised the rallies could become a super-spreading event after protestors flouted stay-at-home orders, abandoned face masks and disregarded social distancing.
More than 3,500 protestors turned out to the Sydney rally with thousands more marching in Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane on Saturday (pictured, protestor placed in handcuffs outside Town Hall in Sydney)
Mr Khallouf praised the turnout claiming there were more than 100,000 people
