Anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine activists have descended on the streets of the Victorian capital over the past week in what they have called marches for "freedom" - but which have largely entailed vandalism, assault and even the forced closure of vaccination clinics. Led mostly by young men aged between 25 and 40, the protests have seemed to create seismic waves (quite literally).

Taking it to the streets right now, with the express purpose of defying a lockdown in place to contain a super-transmissible virus, is irresponsible. Every level-headed person knows that. So I'm not going to jump on the bandwagon of oohing and ahhing about how repulsive and nonsensical their actions were.

But what worries me is that the protests put the rest of us - the rest of Australia's young people - in a negative light.

Here is yet more imagery for those who love to paint us as reckless, chaotic, solipsistic recalcitrants, a danger to society. The footage has fed the negative stereotype that paints the Millennial generation (born between 1980 and 1996) as culpable for fuelling a crisis of democracy - the erosion of basic democratic tenets such as the rule of law, minority rights and freedom of the press. This stereotype misrepresents reality in advanced democracies, but is self-reinforcing - widening the gap that does exist between young people and political institutions.

As a youth researcher, I strive to dispel the misunderstanding that young people are a threat to Australian democracy. The average young Australian is staunchly committed to democratic ideals and bravely speaks up against injustice and inequality. But we do not employ undemocratic means to express ourselves.

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And that's what the Melbourne protests are. They are taking advantage of democracy, but are not an expression of it. They are based on a twisted definition of freedom, hijacking democratic practices for illiberal purposes. They are an example of how democracy can be used to kill democracy. When a protest poses an obvious threat to the health and safety of the general population, it is no longer a protest for freedom or human rights - no matter what slogans are being shouted.

Usually, I'm all about protests. Peaceful demonstrations are an elite-challenging method of practising democracy, candid and effective in holding lawmakers accountable. But in a viral pandemic context, sustained public gatherings are dangerous to the public - not to mention self-destructive to the gatherers. Sure, among the Melbourne protesters are those whose livelihoods have been genuinely disrupted due the protracted lockdown. But we have other means to signal grievances.

In a democracy we don't risk the lives of thousands to achieve political ends.

I fear these evident displays of recklessness by young people - during what the vast majority of us understand is a public health emergency - will only make matters worse for young Australians.