The organisers of the Melbourne Black Lives Matter protest will be fined for breaching the coronavirus directives of the Victorian Chief Health Officer.
Key points:
- Police said the organisers had warned they could be fined
- A spokesperson for the Warriors of Aboriginal Justice said the fines were "disappointing"
- Otherwise, police were pleased with the behaviour of the thousands of protesters
Thousands of people gathered at the Victorian Parliament on Saturday and in cities and towns across the country to protest against the mistreatment and deaths in custody of Indigenous people.
Many protesters in Melbourne wore masks and used hand sanitiser, while police officers wore goggles and masks during the peaceful protest.
After speeches at Parliament, the protesters walked to Flinders Street Station, where they gathered at the intersection as night fell.
As the protest was breaking up, Victoria Police issued a statement saying each of the organisers would be fined $1,652 for breaching the directions of the Chief Health Officer.
In a statement, Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius said police would continue to investigate the protest to determine whether any other people would be fined.
One of the organisers, Meriki Onus from Warriors of Aboriginal Justice, said the fines were "disappointing" and that "they [police] didn't need to do it."
A 20-person limit on outdoor gatherings still applies in Victoria, and on Friday, Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton warned organisers could be fined if the event breaks the Chief Health Officer's directives.
Premier Daniel Andrews and Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton were among those calling for the event to be called off due to concerns of a spike in coronavirus cases.
Victoria still has cases of community transmission of COVID-19 but on Saturday, for the first time since the pandemic was declared, there were no new cases of coronavirus.
Premier Andrews earlier this week said police had made the "tough decision" to allow the protest to go ahead to not "inflame" the situation.
Mixed messages
Otherwise, police were "generally pleased" with the behaviour of the crowd, which was estimated to have been as high as 10,000 people.
As of 5:00pm, there had been no arrests and no reports of property damage.
Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien criticised the Premier for sending mixed messages about the protest — at first saying they should be allowed to protest but later urging them not to attend the event.
"The Premier should've been very clear from day one that it's not safe to gather in large numbers," Mr O'Brien said.
Mr O'Brien said while he understood the passion behind the issue, it was still not safe to gather in large numbers.
"Victorians have been told don't turn up to weddings, don't turn up to funerals, don't turn up to Anzac Day dawn services but the Premier's been giving mixed messages about the protest march and that's why we're seeing the crowds we're seeing today," he said.
"It's really disappointing there weren't other, safer, ways to send a powerful message about this issue," he said.
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2020-06-06 09:17:45Z
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