Watchdog Slams Australian Police For Trying To Ban Black Lives Matter Protest

Watchdog Slams Australian Police for Trying to Ban Black Lives Matter Protest

A prominent watchdog on Friday spoke against an attempt by Australian police to declare the upcoming Black Lives Matter

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th June, 2020) A prominent watchdog on Friday spoke against an attempt by Australian police to declare the upcoming Black Lives Matter demonstration in Sydney illegal.

Earlier in the day, Mick Fuller, the police commissioner of the New South Wales state, said he would file an injunction with his state's Supreme Court against the Saturday event due to the risk of spreading the COVID-19 disease.

"Peaceful protest is a fundamental human right, and the New South Wales police should work with organisers to ensure that attendees can social distance, and protests can be carried out in a safe manner. Police must also commit to not fine anyone inadvertently breaking a COVID-19 guideline," Joel Clark, an Amnesty International Australia campaigner, said in a statement, adding that his organization urges attendees to follow social distancing guidelines.

The demonstration was prompted by the May 25 death of African American man George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody in the US state of Minnesota. A video of the arrest showed a white police officer pressing his knee onto Floyd's neck for at least eight minutes while the detainee was kept handcuffed on his stomach, repeatedly saying he could not breathe. The incident has sparked protests against police violence and racism in various cities across the US and in other countries.