Victorian Liberal Leader Michael O’Brien is laying the blame for today’s Black Lives Matter protest in Melbourne’s CBD squarely at the feet of Premier Daniel Andrews.

As protesters began to gather in front of State Parliament early on Saturday afternoon, Mr O’Brien was at the back of the building and said the Premier should have followed the example of the NSW government and gone to court to stop the event.

The Liberal Leader said Mr Andrews has encouraged what looks set to be the largest public gathering in the state since the COVID-19 pandemic emergency began, by sending "mixed messages" earlier in the week about whether people should attend.

The Premier, Health Minister Jenny Mikakos and Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton all had a clear message by Thursday, that attending the rally was not safe with cases of COVID-19 still being detected in the community and that people should find another way to protest.