Sydney police have been given the authority to arrest the demonstrators who show up at the weekend #BlackLivesMatter protest by Assistant Commissioner Mike Willing.
The protest is scheduled for Sydney Town Hall this weekend as more than a thousand people showed interest in joining on Friday.
Willing said such gatherings may spike up the coronavirus and it is such a huge risk to take for the public. He further says that everyone in this city has a right to exercise freedom of speech in normal circumstances but it does not outweigh public safety and security and these are not normal circumstances anymore.
He also warned the police will deploy all kinds of measures necessary, including potential arrests, to stop this from happening for the sake of the public’s health. According to Mike, protesters could get $1000 fine for disobeying the orders.
While Justice Walton has granted the NSW police a right to declare the weekend protest as a prohibited public gathering. He also prohibited all kinds of rallies including refugees’ rights protests.
David Elliot, The NSW police minister, has welcomed the supreme court’s decision stating people who are thinking of joining the protest despite the Supreme Court orders should revisit their decision and take the safety of public health into account.
Meanwhile, the RAC spokesperson said they are going to arrange and hold the rally as the SC does not make it illegal for people to protest but gives the police more rights. He believes that this rally is no different than the kind of gatherings in schools and parliaments.
The group’s lawyer told SC the matter is a state of urgency as the refugees are imprisoned without their consent.
The spokesman further includes that they will take all the necessary measurements to prevent the virus from spreading in their protests. He said we are not opting to the court of appeal rather we will just continue with our scheduled protest.