Radio breakfast Jonesy has made an impassioned plea for Australians to protect black and Aboriginal lives, amid furious protests about racist brutality in America.
The DJ, whose full name is Brendan Jones, called for people to stop saying ‘all lives matter’ as the global focus should be on black lives.
It comes as American endures its eighth day of protests after the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who had a policeman kneel on his neck – despite his pleas that he couldn’t breathe.
‘Of course all lives matter, but right now, for people of colour, they are the global focus,’ he explained on his WSFM show.
In 2016, Jonesy admitted to having an ‘epiphany’ while watching the SBS show First Contact, and broke down in tears on air.
He said he ‘felt so guilty’ about how Aboriginal people were treated, saying he was ashamed of his previous views.
Amanda Keller (pictured, left) and Brendan ‘Jonesy’ Jones (right) discussed the Black Lives Matter movement on their radio show
Speaking out in an emotional episode of his show with co-host Amanda Keller in 2016, the DJ explained he thought he understood the issue because he lived in WA.
‘I thought I knew a lot about regional Australia because I’ve lived in a lot of remote communities in Western Australia and I’ve seen indigenous communities up close,’ he said.
‘I used to think, “Oh why don’t you let them go out of the community and go back to their old ways” but the thing is, they can’t go back to their old ways, we took them away.
‘I just… I feel so guilty and I’m a white Australian and I’m as sorry as hell.’
He explained that since the epiphany, inspired by the reality series, he has felt more aware of issues affecting the non-white community.
Black Lives Matter demonstrators are seen in Sydney on June 2 (pictured), with another protest planned for the weekend
‘It’s different for us as white people when we get pulled up by the coppers,’ he explained on Wednesday.
‘We don’t have to worry that we’re gonna be spread eagled on the ground, and it happens here in Australia with Indigenous folks here.
‘From law enforcement to getting adequate health or education opportunities so right now, black lives do matter, and as a white person who’s 52, there’ll be a moment when the penny drops about the plight of black people.’
His comments come after shocking footage showed an indigenous teenager having his legs kicked out from underneath him while he was arrested in Sydney.
The 17-year-old’s sister told Triple J Hack her brother shouldn’t have been mistreated for being ‘lippy’, and was ‘distraught’ after the ordeal.
SBS series First Contact (pictured) is what Jonesy said gave him an ‘epiphany’ about the treatment of Aboriginal people in Australia
The teenager told an officer he would ‘crack you in the f**king jaw, bro’, following a verbal altercation at Eddie Ward Park in Surry Hills about 5pm on Monday.
In response, the officer handcuffed him and kicked his legs from underneath him at the same time, sending the boy tumbling face first into the footpath below.
Police are conducting an internal investigation into the officer’s approach to the arrest, and placed him on restricted duties for the duration of the investigation.
His sister said the boy was distraught and his teeth were chipped during the ordeal.
‘When he came back home later that night, he was shaken up,’ she said.
‘He was very sore this morning and he was distraught.
‘Teenagers, they’re lippy, but you don’t just abuse children because they’re lippy.’
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller on Wednesday admitted there were ‘other ways’ the officer could have dealt with the matter, other than the leg sweep.
The teenager was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital (pictured), where he spent the night waiting for results from x-rays to his shoulder, knee and elbow
He said the officer in question had worked in the force for three-and-a-half years and had no record of complaints, and likely regretted the way he arrested the teen.
The teen was released without charge and taken to St Vincent’s Hospital for treatment.
His family claim he suffered cracked teeth and bruising across his entire body.
‘He has a bruised shoulder, cuts and grazing to his knee, face and elbow, and chipped teeth,’ a relative said.
‘This is a case of two things – is it reasonable for someone to swear and threaten a police officer? And then, is the force the officer used reasonable?’ Mr Fuller told 2GB Radio.
‘I don’t know what happened before in terms of the lead-up but there was probably other ways the officer could have dealt with that matter, no doubt.’
Protesters are seen taking a knee at the State Capitol in Denver, Colorado, on June 1 as demonstrations continue across America
The treatment of non-white people by police is now being debated worldwide, while America falls further into chaos.
US president Donald Trump has ordered the National Guard into dozens of cities to quell the protests, with crowds tear gassed by police outside the White House.
America is enduring its eighth day of mass protests over the death of unarmed black man Mr Floyd, who died after a policeman put his knee into his neck for eight minutes.
A post-mortem found Mr Floyd’s death was a homicide, with his cause of death being ‘cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression’.
His treatment triggered protests across the country about the treatment of black people by police.
Shocking footage has emerged both of crowds looting and ransacking local businesses, and also of police using aggressive tactics.
Police officer Derek Chauvin is accused of killing George Floyd (pictured) on May 30 in Minneapolis