Victorian police snatched a sign reading 'free Melbourne' from two friends out for a walk, saying protesting was banned during lockdown.
Officers demanded the pair throw the sign away despite complying with all the lockdown rules.
Both men were wearing gloves and masks, walking in the allowed group of two, and said they were within 5km of their homes this weekend.
However, the female police officer told them the sign was in itself illegal and they would be breaking the law if they didn't bin it.
'You don't need to exercise with that sign, because that to me is indicating that you're about to protest and that's illegal,' she said in the video.
'So I'm going to ask you to throw the sign away.'
Both men were wearing gloves and masks, walking in the allowed group of two, and said they were within 5km of their homes this weekend
The pair questioned whether it was really illegal for them to simply hold a sign while going for their walk.
'Yes, because obviously it's a sign of protest and it's illegal,' the officer replied.
The pair argued it wasn't illegal to protest, only to gather which they were not doing as there was only two of them.
'I'm not going to argue the point, you either put the in the bin or I will,' the policewoman insisted.
'At this point in time you don't have the right to protest... not in this current health pandemic.'
Another video showed police letting the men leave without a fine once they had confiscated the sign.
A friend of the pair posted the footage on social media.
'They were not even "protesting" - halfway through their permitted exercise they decided to scribble it on a piece of cardboard, almost facetiously,' she wrote.
'There are no photos because the police officers forcibly removed the sign from their hands and threw it in the bin.'
The female police officer told them the sign was in itself illegal and they would be breaking the law if they didn't bin it
Melburnians are allowed to exercise in groups of two within 5km of their homes for two hours a day. The 9pm curfew was lifted on Monday.
Protest organisers have been charged with incitement, but they were allegedly advocating for mass demonstrations.
Victoria Police were contacted for comment.
