The NSW Supreme Court has ruled against a Black Lives Matter protest in Sydney tomorrow, saying it will breach public health safety.
“I don’t diminish the importance of the issues and no one would deny them in normal circumstances,” NSW Supreme Court Justice Desmond Fagan said.
“No one denies them that but we’re talking about a situation of a health crisis.”
NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant told the court the protest could “increase the risk of community-acquired infections and the seeding of clusters.”
The Stop All Black Deaths in Custody rally is scheduled to take place tomorrow afternoon at Town Hall. From there, attendees will march to Belmore Park, near Central, to protest the deaths of George Floyd and Dunghutti man David Dungay Jr., both of whom died in police custody and whose final words were: “I can’t breathe.”
Gamilaroi woman and academic Amy Thunig tweeted some choice words following the ruling.
To be perfectly fkn clear – last week some 3000 people gathered to protest based on conspiracy theories over 5G. No arrests.
Tonight the NSW Supreme Court has denied permission for Black Lives Matter protesters to demonstrate in Sydney tomorrow.#blacklivesmatteraustralia
— Dr Amy Thunig (@AmyThunig) June 5, 2020
“The idea that we should actually need permission from police to protest over the murder of Indigenous peoples and Black people by the police is farcical but our communities try to work with these systems where ever possible,” she continued. “If you care about democracy, you should care about this,”
“If you care about human rights, about the creeping authoritarianism and police state we live in, about black lives, about the fact you are walking on and benefiting from STOLEN land and this protest is for and by sovereign First Nations Peoples – then you should care about this.”
According to The Guardian, organisers of tomorrow’s rally said it will still go ahead.
Organisers of Saturday’s protest say the event will still go ahead. Greens MP David Shoebridge says he will personally attend. pic.twitter.com/6b2Gx0JyRD
— Elias Visontay (@EliasVisontay) June 5, 2020
