Over the weekend, thousands took to the streets to protests Black Lives Matter and Australia’s own First Nation people – calling for an end to police brutality and systematic racism. While many were quick to label the protests “an American issue”, the reality is our country faces its own fight with racism.
While it was reported last week that there had been 432 known deaths of Indigenous Australians in police custody since the royal commission in 1991, The Guardian’s ‘Deaths Inside’ findings put that number as high as 437 – including one over the weekend in Western Australia.
Defying attempts from the police to ban demonstrations through the courts and despite pleas from Prime Minister Scott Morrison and state leaders for people to stay home, the protests were attended by thousands, aiming to draw attention to the realities of Australia’s First Nations people, who suffer lower life expectancy and are more likely to be incarcerated than non-Indigenous Australians.
It was a powerful show of solidarity. Below, some of the most powerful moments from the protest.
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