NSW Police Are Threatening Arrests To Stop Protesters This Weekend
It comes as NSW Police Minister calls protesters "certifiably insane" and says the protests against Indigenous deaths in custody are not his "sort of cause".
NSW Police Minister David Elliott has labelled protestors “certifiably insane” for wanting to gather in solidarity with Black Lives Matter this weekend.
He also said this weekend’s protest — which aims to bring attention to Australia’s shocking history of Indigenous deaths in custody — is “not my sort of cause”. He’s been pushing for the protests to be banned, and it appears he may get his wish.
This afternoon NSW police confirmed they’re seeking a last-minute injunction from the Supreme Court to stop the protest going ahead. NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller has said even if they’re unsuccessful, they’re prepared to arrest protesters if numbers exceed more than 500 people.
Elliott made his comments on 2GB radio this morning, and was instantly slammed.
This is a narcisstic and completely irresponsible comment by the NSW Police Minister intended to erase the grief and suffering police have inflicted upon us since the eras of Native Police. Austalia has just turned up their brutality level on Indigenous peoples. https://t.co/QD5NgM5IX4
— ❤💛🖤💯 (@MelindaMann01) June 5, 2020
Apparently anyone who attends is certifiably insane. But yeah, only applies to Blackfullas, not Conspiracy theorists…
— Lisa Rafferty 🦄👸🌈 – #JoinYourUnion (@Leesidge) June 5, 2020
“Anybody who goes to a mass gathering during a pandemic is certifiably insane, they are nuts,” Elliott said.
“I don’t think anybody that goes out during a pandemic and joins a mass gathering is of sound mind, regardless of what the cause is. Now it’s not my sort of cause, and if somebody asked me to go to a protest over the course of the weekend there’s no way in the world I would go to it.
“But these sort of people that are going to these protests during pandemics don’t think like you and I, they’re not normal.”
Elliott also confirmed there will be both plain clothed and uniformed police officers present, and “the full force of the police force” would come down on anybody who “plays up”.
Police Minister David Elliott: “These sort of people that [sic] are going to protest during pandemics don’t think like you and I, they’re not normal.”
Well no David mate, I don't think systemic racism and Indigenous deaths in custody are or should be normal.
— Sikamikanico 🎀 (@Sikamikanico) June 5, 2020
This morning Prime Minister Scott Morrison also said people should not attend protests due to the ongoing health risks.
It’s true, we are currently in the middle of a global pandemic. There are still hundreds of active coronavirus cases, so if you do decide to attend a protest make sure to check out our guide to protesting safely during a pandemic.
NSW Police Move To Ban Protest
Earlier this week NSW Police gave approval for the protest to go ahead in Sydney. Police Minister David Elliott has been challenging the decision, and his influence seems to have worked.
NSW Police have now confirmed they are applying for an injunction from the Supreme Court to stop the protest from going ahead on Saturday — despite the fact one already went ahead in Sydney on Tuesday night, with no issues.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said approval was given when they thought it would be a small gathering.
“The New South Wales Government would never ever give the green light to thousands of people flagrantly disregarding the health orders,” she said.
There's no doubt Covid-19 is dangerous, but so is systemic racism. First Nations people have asked for our support. See you at the rally – be safe, keep your distance & wear a mask if you have one. Solidarity.
— Mehreen Faruqi (@MehreenFaruqi) June 5, 2020
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said they commenced legal action because they don’t believe the protest can take place in a safe way. He said if the court rules in favour of the protest it can go ahead with 500 attendees — but if more than that turn up, they’re prepared to arrest people.
“If 501 turn up, we could give them a direction to leave. If they refuse, we can arrest them, or arrest them and give them a caution or a court attendance notice, or a $1,000 fine.”
Victoria’s Police Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton also confirmed the organisers will receive fines if more than 20 people show up to their planned Stop Black Deaths in Custody protest.
Meanwhile, the South Australian police have granted an exemption to allow a Black Lives protest in Adelaide tomorrow. Similar protests are also planned in cities including Brisbane and Melbourne.
David Elliott’s History Of Saying Shitty Things
This isn’t the first time David Elliott’s proven himself to be a bit of a knob. In 2018 when talking about deaths in custody he said: “prisons are bad places where bad people go“.
Last week he was slammed over his response to a video showing a police officer slamming an Aboriginal teenager to the ground — saying he was just as disturbed by the teenage boys words as he was by the adult police officer’s actions.
Last year he also said he’d be fine with his young children being strip searched by police, and back in the ’90s he also compared a possible Australian republic to Nazi Germany.