Organisers of today’s BLM protest in the Domain now say “the rally is over” and are urging others not to come. “The struggle for justice will continue,” they wrote on Facebook.
Around 50 protesters who showed up to protest Indigenous deaths in custody were confronted by as many as 400 police, who had earlier warned attendees they would “not hesitate to take the appropriate action, if required”.
“If you turn up, just expect that you could find yourself incarcerated for six months,” NSW Police Minister David Elliott said.
The rally was declared illegal after organisers yesterday lost an appeal against a Sunday Supreme Court court ruling that had seen the rally banned.
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Police have told protesters to disperse of face the consequences.
“You are in breach of the public health order by congregating," a NSW Police officer said.
"If you do not leave the Domain you will be fined and legal action taken against you."
Organisers at the protests have told news.com.au protesters may have been outnumbered 10 to 1 by cops.
It’s thought only around 50 people came to the rally but there may have been as many as 400 officers in attendance.
Protest organisers now say they are urging people not to come to the Domain.
"Police have made arrests," the Justice For David Dungay Jnr Facebook page wrote.
"We are now appealing for people NOT to come to the Domain. Please share spread the word the rally is OVER. The struggle for justice will continue."
Three protesters have been detained, the ABC reports.
A protester arrested at the rally has ripped up the $1000 fine, saying he'll "take it all the way to the Supreme Court".
Paul Silva, the nephew of David Dungay – an Aboriginal man who died in custody – said he didn’t fear being arrested but said it should not be the case that people could be taken away by police.
“We’re not breaking any rules, we’re in groups of less than 20," he said. "We’re coming down here to listen to our families demand justice. There is enough grass here for 5000 people."
Mr Silva was later arrested.
Organiser Paddy Gibson has been arrested before the march even began. Police warned people to leave the BLM rally as they were in groups of more than 20 then took Mr Gibson away in a van.
Several people have now been arrested for attending the rally in breach of the court order yesterday.
Health Minister Greg Hunt has issued a grim warning to protesters ahead of today's Black Lives Matter rally in Sydney, saying going to the event could result in more COVID-19 deaths.
"Don’t. You could be taking somebody’s life," Mr Hunt said on Sky News.
The health minister reiterated his warning not to attend the event when speaking with the ABC this morning.
He said attending a protest during a pandemic was "inappropriate and dangerous".
“No matter the absolute nobility of the cause, the means of meeting at this moment in our history, with a pandemic afoot, is inappropriate and dangerous,” Mr Hunt said.
“I could not be clearer. Please, do not go. Express your views on social media, a silent vigil outside your place of residence, whatever other means, but not gathering in large groups.”
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing also called for people not to attend the rally, saying anyone that does go could risk being arrested.
"This is not about the right to protest, we support the right to protest, this is about doing it in a pandemic, and at the moment we just can’t take that risk," he told 2GB.
"We don’t want to have to go down the road of arrests but we are quite prepared to if we have to.
"At the end of the day, we want people to stay away from this particular protest, find another time, find another way to express your views."
One of the organisers of the Black Lives Matter protest set to go ahead in Sydney today has said the push back against the rally is "completely unfair" and politically motivated.
Speaking on Today, organiser Paddy Gibson said it wasn't right that the protest has been deemed illegal while venues like shopping centres are still open and many other events can still go ahead.
"While the marketplace is open in this city, while thousands of people can congregate for commercial purposes, the public square must also be open," he said.
"I think it is completely unfair that we are being told that we are somehow responsible for deaths when you are not dragging the proprietor of Westfield to condemn them for continuing their operations.
"This is a politically-motivated thing."
Picture: Damian Shaw/NCA NewsWire
Mr Gibson noted that Premier Gladys Berejiklian has continually said large indoor gatherings are a higher risk for spreading the virus.
"Why is her government giving exemptions to commercial operations to allow thousands of people to gathering indoors including the major shopping centres," he said.
"But they won't work cooperatively with protest organisers who put forward a plan more than a month ago to the NSW Government saying we want to carry this out in a socially distancing safe way."
Mr Gibson said the organisers put forward an alternative plan to the police to have the protest in The Domain to allow for social distancing.
He said a rule would be in place saying more than 20 people couldn't group together in order to abide by current gathering restrictions.
But police reportedly told them that if there were more than 20 people spaced out at the park "it could be construed as a gathering in breach of a regulation and we can face fines and arrest".
Mr Gibson said these actions were working to "demonise" the BLM movement.
The organisers of a Black Lives Matter protest have vowed to go ahead with the rally in Sydney today, despite it being deemed illegal by the Supreme Court.
Speaking on Today, Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged those planning to attend the protest to think about the health of their loved ones.
"If you are not worried about yourself think about your loved ones you could be infecting and causing enormous harm to," she told the morning show.
"We are appealing to people conscientious and the ethical standards say that you should not be out there."
The premier urged people to find a different way to express their views on the issue at hand, adding the state was not under "normal" circumstances.
"In NSW we are in a very, very critical point. If we get through the next couple of weeks managing to control the spread, our prospects of having a very positive experience in the next little while are much greater," she said.
"It only takes a few cases for this thing to go out of control. We have seen that in Victoria. We don't want it to happen in NSW.
"I am just appealing to everybody think about another way to express your views."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiiwFodHRwczovL3d3dy5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC9uc3ctYWN0L25ld3MvYmxhY2stbGl2ZXMtbWF0dGVyLXN5ZG5leS1wcm90ZXN0LWxpdmUtdXBkYXRlcy9saXZlLWNvdmVyYWdlLzBhMzdmMGRlNDgxMzVlODc0ZTk3NmFhYjFmMDVlYzgz0gGPAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm5ld3MuY29tLmF1L25hdGlvbmFsL25zdy1hY3QvbmV3cy9ibGFjay1saXZlcy1tYXR0ZXItc3lkbmV5LXByb3Rlc3QtbGl2ZS11cGRhdGVzL2xpdmUtY292ZXJhZ2UvMGEzN2YwZGU0ODEzNWU4NzRlOTc2YWFiMWYwNWVjODMvYW1w?oc=5
2020-07-28 02:07:02Z
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