Published: 9 June 2020
Last updated: 4 March 2024
OVER THE PAST WEEK across Australia, tens of thousands attended rallies and marches in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, in wake of the death of George Floyd in the US and in response to the 434 Aboriginal deaths in custody in Australia since 1991.
Despite calls from authorities to cancel the rallies due to concerns of further coronavirus transmission, organisers across the country defended their calls to action by highlighting the systemic nature of racism against Aboriginal people in Australia.
[embed]https://youtu.be/VzcT_e-zlcI[/embed]
Similar reasoning has emerged from the US recently, with protesters arguing that there is no “good” time to call for justice, and that stands must be taken regardless of risk.
While the rallies across Australia were organised with the intention of highlighting police brutality and injustice against Indigenous people in this country, many used the opportunity to express grief at the deaths of black people in America from police.
In Melbourne, protesters heard from the relatives of Aboriginal people killed in police custody, including the relatives of Kumanjaji Walker and Tanya Day, both recent high-profile cases of Aboriginal deaths in custody in Australia.
The Melbourne rally also heard from prospective Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe and renowned hip-hop artist Sampa The Great.
Jewish attendees interviewed pointed to ideas of liberation and self-determination as basis for their solidarity with the movement. Others also cited the historical role of persecution by state authorities of the Jewish people as a vital factor in marching against racism and injustice.
Many protesters made the point of marching during the coronavirus pandemic to counter a “pandemic of racism”, and others interviewed dismissed concerns about social distancing rules being flouted in order to march.
In the words of a 16-year-old Gadigal woman interviewed on the ABC over the weekend, “at some point, something has to change and it’s not going to wait any longer”.
Photo: Jarrah Kron at the Black Lives Matter rally in Melbourne on June 6 (screen capture/Maddy Blay)
