A heavy police presence has blanketed Melbourne in an effort to prevent further chaos after yesterday’s mass protest turned violent.

Multiple arrests have already been made in the vicinity of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) headquarters, where a brawl erupted on Monday as furious construction workers protested against mandatory Covid vaccinations.

Lines of police officers, including mounted police and others bearing riot shields, gathered in the area around the CFMEU building, with helicopters patrolling overhead.

Meanwhile, a crowd of protesters is currently marching through the streets nearby. The group, more than a hundred strong, appeared to start around Flagstaff Gardens and move east towards Elizabeth Street, the State Library and Carlton Gardens, before heading south to Flinders Street.

They then moved to the Queen Victoria Market, where some people lit flares.

There have been scattered confrontations between police and members of the public, but nothing on the scale of yesterday’s clashes as of yet.

The Battle of Carlton Gardens. pic.twitter.com/UUK8OUdiMf

— Ryan Sheales (@RyanSheales) September 22, 2021