SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA) – Several hundred people assembled in Sydney on Sunday to be part of the weekend-long protests in Australia’s large cities in favour of the Black Lives Matter movement. The movement has laid focus on how badly indigenous peoples are treated.
A month after the first Black Lives Matter rallies in Australia, the protests saw a comparatively small crowd amid health warnings about the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. With infections on the rise in the state of Victoria, home to the country’s second-largest city, Melbourne, this came as most likely and important.
Masks and hand sanitisers were handed over and organisers requested people to maintain social distancing at the Sydney protest. An ancient Aboriginal smoking ceremony took place as bereaving families of those relatives while in police custody came together.
Protests took place in Brisbane, Darwin and Perth, also attracting smaller crowds on Saturday,.
The increased global awareness about the treatment of minorities as a result of the Black Lives Matter movement has come as the country conducts introspects Rio Tinto’s distraction of two ancient and sacred Aboriginal caves in Western Australia.
As per the latest government data, the indigenous population represents just over 3% of Australia’s total population of about 25 million.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.