Australian police clash with anti-lockdown protesters, arrest nearly 270

FILE PHOTO: Personnel from the Australian Defence Force and New South Wales Police Force patrol a street in the Bankstown suburb during an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Sydney, Australia, August 3, 2021. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo

MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Australia's police arrested 235 people in Melbourne and 32 in Sydney on Saturday at unsanctioned anti-lockdown rallies and several police officers were injured in clashes with protesters.

Victoria police said six officers required hospitalisation. Several officers were knocked to the ground and trampled, the police said and television footage showed.