‘They could cause deaths’: Barnaby Joyce slams Black Lives Matter protesters for putting Aboriginal people at risk of coronavirus by ignoring public health laws and gathering in their thousands
- Thousands of anti-racism protesters gathered in Australian cities at weekend
- Barnaby Joyce said the protests put Aboriginal people at risk of coronavirus
- ‘The consequence of those protests could be the deaths of people,’ he said
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Barnaby Joyce has criticised Black Lives Matter protesters who flouted coronavirus restrictions to gather in their thousands at the weekend.
The former deputy prime minister said the protesters put Aboriginal people at risk because they are more vulnerable to the deadly virus.
‘The consequence of those protests could be the deaths of people in remote aboriginal communities,’ he said on Wednesday.
Barnaby Joyce (pictured) has criticised Black Lives Matter protesters who flouted coronavirus restrictions to gather in their thousands at the weekend
Ignoring the rules: Protesters kneel and salute at Belmore Park on in Sydney on Saturday
The former deputy prime minister said the protesters put Aboriginal people at risk because they are more vulnerable to the deadly virus
‘Don’t those black lives matter as much of the other ones?’
He added: ‘A lot of people are making a statement to create further dissent without properly thinking through the consequences of what they’re doing and one of the most vulnerable groups are the people they were apparently protesting for.’
‘How can you have a Black Lives Matter protest about the Aboriginal community, knowing the most vulnerable people for coronavirus are remote Aboriginal communities. What happens if one person gets the coronavirus?’
Mr Joyce also said it was hard to justify why churches in his New England electorate were only allowed 20 people at service when thousands of people were allowed to gather in cities.
‘An outdoor service where people are 1.5m apart, surely that’s safer than a rally with 12,000 people?’ he said.
Mr Joyce also said it was hard to justify why churches in his New England electorate were only allowed 20 people at service when thousands of people were allowed to gather in cities
Black rights protests sprung up around the western world in response to American demonstrations following the death of black security guard George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis.
Thousands of aboriginal rights activists attended rallies in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide on Saturday despite health officials warning they could cause COVID-19 outbreaks.
The Australian newspaper today reported that the protests will cost the economy $1billion because restrictions will be relaxed less quickly while officials wait to see if they cause a spike in cases.
Tens of thousands of protesters marched through Australian cities in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Pictured: A protest in Sydney on Tuesday