Thousands of people are protesting across Australia today to oppose the deaths of Indigenous people in police custody. It comes as Black Lives Matter protests are held around the world after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer in the US state of Minneapolis. Rallies were held in Brisbane and Adelaide, along with some regional centres, earlier today.
Big crowds have also gathered for protests in Melbourne and Sydney — after the New South Wales Court of Appeal ruled in favour of a last-ditch appeal to lawfully authorise a Sydney protest. Hundreds of people began gathering in King George Square in Brisbane’s CBD early this afternoon for the protest, which kicked off at 1:00pm.
It was organised by Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance (WAR) to show solidarity with the uprisings in the United States and Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people. “All the people who have been oppressed, and exploited, and brutalised by the system and let us fight for a better world,” the organisation said in a statement. “We make up less than 5 per cent of the general population but account for 27 per cent of the general prison population, 30 per cent of women’s prisons and 70 per cent of youth prisons nationally.”
Australian National University professor Peter Collignon said people should take steps to protect themselves and others and adhere to social distancing. Young and old Aboriginal people, including Wulgurukaba people, spoke to the crowd about the racism and mistreatment of their people in Australia for generations. Speakers said the death of George Floyd was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Source: ABC
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