SYDNEY: Australian police on Tuesday (Jul 28) arrested six people and ordered about 50 others to disperse after they gathered in Sydney for a Black Lives Matter protest despite an official ban because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The march was planned to highlight the deaths of Aboriginal people in custody, building on momentum from global rallies for racial justice and against police brutality.
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Police had said the gathering was unauthorised and in breach of coronavirus prevention measures, a position backed by a court ruling on Monday, as Australia tackles a spike in COVID-19 cases.
READ: Australian PM abandons interstate tour to tackle COVID-19 crisis
Police said they arrested six people before the scheduled start of the march in a public park and ordered others to leave the area, saying people had been given enough warning to stay away.
"Over the last 24 hours, we have said time and time again, do not turn up," New South Wales Assistant Police Commissioner Mick Willing told reporters in Sydney. "We are in the middle of a pandemic."
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Police officers surround a police van as they issue citation tickets to demonstrators, after shutting down a rally that was deemed unlawful, in Sydney, Australia, Jul 28, 2020. (REUTERS/Loren Elliott)
Of the six people arrested, five were each fined AUS$1,000 (US$712) for defying the court order banning the gathering. The sixth was fined for using offensive language.
Reuters estimated there were about 50 people gathered on the rainy day in the city, well short of the 500 people that organisers had expected to attend.
Australia on Monday reported its highest ever single-day increase in cases after a flare-up of infections in Victoria state. Neighbouring NSW, of which Sydney is the capital, is also battling several virRead More – Source
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