The so-called ‘Karen‘ who challenged staff at a Melbourne Bunnings over the city’s face mask regulations appears to have taken a pop at an Australia Post staff member.
Footage shared on social media seems to show the same individual entering a post office and declaring “I do not need a mask,” despite the fact there are currently only a handful of lawful reasons for Melbourne residents to leave the house without one.
The woman approaches the counter and asks the fella to stamp some paperwork.
Although the staff member cannot be heard asking the woman to wear a mask, the woman badgers the guy over who she believes has the right to ask for evidence of a medical exemption.
“I suggest you update yourself on what the Department of Human Services has put on with regards to masks and who needs to wear them,” she says.
— cam smith (@sexenheimer) July 26, 2020
Earlier, footage showed the woman berating staff at a Melbourne Bunnings when they informed her wearing a mask was a condition of entry.
Taking to Twitter, Rob Scott, the CEO of Bunnings’ parent company Wesfarmers, said he was “very proud of the team at Bunnings for doing their best to keep people safe.”
Her statements in both videos appear to draw inspiration from the Sovereign Citizens movement, an incredibly small cluster of conspiracists who believe they are not citizens of any nation, meaning Australian laws don’t apply to them.
It’s a fringe group, and two videos shouldn’t be taken as evidence of some all-out culture war around masks. But the clips hint at how the ideology is currently ping-ponging around certain Australian social media bubbles, and how those attention-seeking, us-versus-them theories can manifest in real life.
The vast majority of Melbourne residents are currently required to wear a face mask outside of the home, as health authorities attempt to crack down on rising coronavirus case numbers.
It really isn’t an attempt to exert government control, but a measure which health authorities believe will slow the rate of community transmission.
If you’d like to learn about the legitimate reasons not to wear a mask, be our guest.
