Viv Malo has been a voice of opposition against an angry group of protesters as they roamed Melbourne’s CBD and occupied the Shrine of Remembrance this week.

For several days, the Aboriginal healthcare worker engaged in several heated clashes with members of the mob, asking them to explain their rationale for attending the protests and imploring them to consider the broader community.

Aboriginal healthcare worker Viv Malo has engaged in several heated exchanges with protesters this week.

“I wanted them to think about why they were there. There were one or two who said they wanted to express their frustration. I don’t want to encroach on anyone’s right to protest, but we’re in unprecedented times, and we need to think differently for the time being,” she said.

“I’m aware of the rise of the right wing in Australia and the privilege and self-righteousness of this group who seem to think their right to a lunchroom, or to oppose the vaccine, should come ahead of everything else.”

Outside Parliament House on Tuesday, the diminutive 48-year-old was observed by The Age calling a burly protester a “loser” before telling him to go home.

On Wednesday, near the Shrine, she was again arguing with protesters to account for their actions, which have caused mayhem across the city.

Ms Malo was vilified by some in the crowd, who branded her a junkie and told her to get a job.

“People look at me and make assumptions, but I’m used to that, it’s been happening my whole life,” she said.

A health worker in the inner city, Ms Malo said she supported the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine and urged members of Indigenous communities to get vaccinated.

“I am pro-vaccine and I’m not afraid to say that because I don’t want to see Aboriginal communities get hammered by this. My family are from a remote community in West Australia, where there’s a lot of hesitancy because of the misinformation online,” she said.

“I just want some logic to come to these arguments. Protesters are talking about nano-particles and when did we start to distrust doctors all of a sudden?”

Ms Malo took particular issue with a decision by protesters to storm the Shrine of Remembrance at about 1.30pm on Wednesday.

“The desecration of the Shrine and the flying of the Australian flags. It’s the confusion and hypocrisy that really gets to me. Be congruent, if you’ve got a real argument, then put it forward.”

The protests, which began on Monday, were sparked by a series of additional coronavirus regulations imposed on the construction sector by the Andrews government, including a vaccine mandate and the closure of tea rooms.

The make-up of the group has been a topic of conjecture this week. While construction union boss John Setka said the large majority were anti-vaccination “drunken morons” rather than tradespeople, others in the union believe CFMEU members have been out in force.

Most of Wednesday’s protests – slammed by the construction union as “mindless and destructive mob actions” – played out at the Shrine in a stand-off between protesters and police that lasted more than three hours.

Amid chants of “freedom” and “every day”, the crowd was urged to leave peacefully via St Kilda Road. By about 4.45pm, when the group had thinned to less than half its original size, police deployed tear gas and non-lethal rounds to disperse those who remained.

Shrine of Remembrance chief executive Dean Lee revealed there was urine on walls, widespread rubbish and shattered glass in a “disgusting” display.

“To think that people could come to a place of peaceful reflection to protest about a cause that has nothing to do with the service and sacrifice of generations of Australians is outrageous and unacceptable,” Mr Lee said.

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