Conservative commentator Candace Owens has accused governments of using the COVID-19 pandemic to declare "World War 3."
Owens appeared to be referencing the strict coronavirus restrictions brought in by the government to curb infections.
Having kept cases to a minimum by introducing strict travel quarantine measures early on in the pandemic, Australia has now seen its cases shoot up due to the emergence of the Delta variant there. The Australian military was even deployed in July and August in Sydney to enforce lockdowns in the country's largest city.
Owens tweeted her opinion on Australia's draconian COVID restrictions on Friday: "Looking in to what is happening in Australia and I can now confidently say that World War 3 is upon us."
"We are in the midst of a global, psychological warfare. Under the guise of COVID-19, governments worldwide have declared war on their people for full totalitarian control," she added.
Newsweek has contacted Owens' team for further comment.
Victoria has been hardest-hit state, recording 1,838 new cases over the last 24 hours on October 8. The state has ordered the mandatory use of masks indoors and outdoors for people aged 12 and over in order to curb transmission. Residents of the state are also banned from traveling to metropolitan Melbourne. There are certain exceptions such as authorized work or permitted education, visiting a romantic partner, for care as well as compassionate reasons and other limited reasons like moving.
If Victoria residents show symptoms, no matter how mild, they need to get tested for COVID-19, according to state guidelines. There is also a ban on private gatherings at people's homes.
But each Australian state has its own COVID regulations and critics of the strategy have called the guidelines confusing.
There has been much opposition to the restrictions. A group of anti-lockdown rioters blockaded the headquarters of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) in Melbourne on September and since, five union officials have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Daily Beast.
Owens in the past has regularly shared coronavirus conspiracy theories, including that the virus was not as fatal as experts said and that public response has been overblown.
In July, she praised British singer Eric Clapton for refusing to play at venues that require proof of vaccination.
There have been other critics in the U.S. as well. Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told a boat builders' conference on September 28 that he wasn't sure whether Australia is "freer than communist China right now," according to the Daily Beast.
