Scott Morrison said protests violated rules of social distancing and hampered lifting of lock (File)
Sydney:
Black Lives Matter protesters should be punished for ignoring coronavirus lockdown rules, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday, sparking anger also saying that slavery never existed in the country.
Tens of thousands of Australians demonstrated this week against systemic racism at home and in the United States, with more to come in the coming days.
Critics called for a ban on the marches for health reasons, sparking a debate on freedom of expression and the country’s colonial past.
Conservative leader Scott Morrison said the protests violated social distancing and prevented the lifting of the coronavirus shutdown, endangering the economy.
Asked in a radio interview about whether the protesters should be charged, he replied, “I think they should.”
“I think people who want to go further this weekend are showing a lot of disrespect for their fellow Australians,” he said, while the state of Victoria reported that a protester in Melbourne had tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Black Lives Matter movement has had a strong impact on many people in Australia – a country grappling with the legacy of a racist past.
During the interview, Morrison praised the British explorer, Captain James Cook, and said “there is no slavery in Australia”.
This remark was categorically rejected by historians and activists, who highlighted evidence of Aboriginal contract workers and thousands of slaves taken from the Pacific Islands to work on Australian sugar cane plantations.
Australian Aboriginals continue to be greatly overrepresented in the prison population, and there have been more than 400 Aboriginal deaths in custody in the past few decades alone.
Morrison did not specify the charges against the protesters, but authorities warned that they would at least impose fines for violating restrictions on public gatherings.
Australia has experienced sustained low levels of community transmission of the virus and only a handful of new cases are now appearing daily.
Restaurants, bars and schools have reopened and many sports have restarted, although strict rules of social distancing remain.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
