NSW Supreme Court Has Sided With Police To Block Today’s Protest

The NSW Supreme Court has approved a last-minute injunction stopping today’s vigil and protest in Sydney against Indigenous deaths in custody from going ahead.

The protest was designed to show solidarity with similar demonstrations around the world. It was initially approved by NSW Police earlier this week. But police opinion on the gathering appeared to change after NSW Police Minister David Elliott  labelled protestors “certifiably insane” for wanting to gather in solidarity during a pandemic.

“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,” Elliott said. “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.”

Yesterday, the mother of David Dungay — who was killed in police custody in 2015 — told reporters outside the Supreme Court that she would be marching regardless.

“I’m marching for my son…the nurses and doctors put my son under ground, and I’m going to walk on it,” she said.

At the same conference, Faith Black, who was meant to MC the protest, said organisers were being “accused of being militant”.

“Now that there is worldwide recognition of how black people are being treated, we are taking that opportunity to bring deaths in custody to the forefront,” she said.

“We were just being accused of being militant. We are not militant people. We are a peaceful loving nation, we always have been. We have traditional custodianship over this land and we want to work with you. We expect that in return.”