Scott Morrison rejected growing calls to remove statues of white leaders from across the country (File)
Sydney:
Australian officials have warned supporters of Black Lives Matter that they could be arrested if they violate restrictions on coronaviruses for participating in public protests, as a debate erupted over the country’s indigenous history.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison drew sharp criticism on Thursday after declaring “there is no slavery in Australia” during a discussion on the early days of British colonization, which he acknowledged “fairly brutal”.
Historians, Indigenous activists and some legislators have expressed shock and dismay at these comments.
“The slavery of Aboriginal people, men, women and children is well documented,” said Sharman Stone, a former federal legislator and now a professor of politics at Monash University. “The slaves worked in the pearl, fishing, pastoral industries and as domestic work.”
The Black Lives Matter movement has refocused attention in Australia on the mistreatment of Indigenous Australians, including the deaths of Indigenous people in detention.
State officials in Victoria confirmed on Thursday that one of eight new COVID-19 cases reported on Thursday was a man who attended the weekend rally in Melbourne. Friday, other unauthorized events are planned.
“We are going to start writing 1,000 Australian dollars (700 dollars) bills and we can use all of our powers to get people moving,” New South Wales police commissioner Mick Fuller told Full Radio 2GB. . “If you don’t move, well you will be arrested.”
Morrison has rejected growing calls to remove statues from white leaders, including one of the country’s prime ministers, Edmund Barton, who is located near an Aboriginal burial site. Barton played a key role in drafting the national constitution, which denied ancestral rights.
Morrison said the protesters’ initial motivations were “right”, but the pressure to remove the statues was motivated by political agendas.
Australia recorded its first day on Tuesday without community transmission of COVID-19 since the start of the crisis. It recorded 7,285 cases, including 102 deaths.
(This story has not been edited by GalacticGaming staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
