Australian man goes viral after reporter challenges him over lockdown barbecue

A man spotted barbecuing sausages in a park in the midst of Victoria’s lockdown has gone viral, after he reacted angrily to a reporter who challenged him.

In its Sunday broadcast, 7News showed its reporter confronting the man in a Melbourne park – but his response was somewhat unexpected.

The clip begins with a close-up of the sizzling feast, as a voiceover says: “Barbecues across the Yarra sat idle, but these mates weren’t willing to explain.”

The scene then cuts to a reporter holding a microphone dangerously close to the barbecuing sausages – or snags, as they are sometimes known in Australia – and asking: “Did you realise there’s a lockdown?”

At first the man ignores the reporter, before casually replying: “Can’t wait for some of these snags, they’re gonna be good as.”

With a similar level of nonchalance, the man then deftly bats the microphone away from his sausages – sending the equipment soaring.

The viral clip has been “liked” hundreds of thousands of times on TikTok and has somewhat divided amused social media users.

“Don’t put [a] microphone next to a dude who’s cooking his snags,” said one commenter, with a laughing emoji, while another joked: “To be honest though, they were getting up in his grill.”

However, some criticised the man as acting irresponsibly in light of the state lockdown, with one Twitter user saying: “If it outbreaks bad all those doctors and nurses who go through hell will love seeing this hero.”

But others felt there was more than one party acting irresponsibly, with TikTok user writing: “The microphone was not social distancing from his snags.”

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