Fury as thousands of Black Lives Matters protesters will be allowed to pack into Australian cities this weekend - but coronavirus restrictions are STILL imposed on weddings, sport and funerals
- Thousands of protesters will be attending rallies across Australia on Saturday
- The demonstrations are in support of the Black Lives Matter movement
- The protests come despite social distancing restrictions to stop coronavirus
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Tens of thousands of protesters are preparing to march through Australian cities this weekend in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Demonstrators have been given the green light to go ahead with the event on Saturday despite current COVID-19 restrictions limiting gathering sizes.
Only 20 guests are allowed at weddings and only 50 mourners are allowed at funerals in NSW in a bid to reduce the risk of spreading the deadly illness.
The move has angered heartbroken families who lost loved ones to the coronavirus.
Tens of thousands of protesters are preparing to march through Australian cities this weekend in support of the Black Lives Matter movement (pictured: A protest in Sydney on Tuesday)
While only 50 mourners are allowed at funerals in NSW, protesters will be allowed to gather around Australia
Only 20 guests are allowed at weddings in NSW under the COVID-19 restrictions aimed at reducing the spread of the illness
A relative of Giuseppe Franzoni, 84, who died in April after battling the virus for two weeks has spoken out against the protest, calling it 'disrespectful'.
'It is total disrespect to the 102 Australians who have died so tragically. People just don’t get it. They have a right to protest, but now is not the time,' the relative told The Herald Sun.
Leaders in two of the hardest hit states - New South Wales and Victoria - are at odds over the protests, with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews telling protesters to stay home.
'It would not be safe, in my judgment, and the judgment of our medical experts, to be having gatherings of that size.'
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has given Saturday's protest the greenlight, despite the current limits on gatherings in New South Wales.
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Ms Berejiklian is encouraging attendees to maintain social distancing.
'I would never want to be in a position where we took away the right of people to demonstrate their ability to protest.
'But it has to be done in a COVID-safe way.'
NSW Police Minister David Elliott on Friday slammed the protesters for gathering during a pandemic.
'Anybody who goes to a mass gathering during a pandemic is certifiably insane. They are nuts,' he told Sydney radio 2GB.
'If you attend a mass gathering and you expose and disease to a loved one, to some-one who's suffering, or to the elderly then you have acted completely inappropriately.'
Mr Elliott admitted the police did not have the numbers to stop the protesters.
'No pride in Australia's genocide': Protesters march in Sydney on Tuesday
'There are some things in our society that are completely impossible to stop the right to political freedom is one of them,' he said.
Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott also slammed the demonstrators.
He said: 'You can't go to the footy. why on earth should 10,000 people be allowed to make merry at the Town Hall steps?'
Leading infectious diseases physician Sanjaya Senanayake said large protests pose a risk of transmission.
'Any mass gathering of people when we haven’t completely gotten rid of COVID-19 from the community increases the risk,' he told the Daily Telegraph.
Saturday's protests, which will be held in major cities across the country, come after more than 3,000 demonstrators gathered in Sydney on Tuesday evening to rally against indigenous deaths in custody in the wake of the alleged murder of George Floyd.
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died in custody of the Minneapolis Police Department on Monday May 25 after an officer knelt on his neck for eight minutes while making an arrest.
His death has led to rallies across the U.S and the world and sparked a global social media movement condemning violence against black people at the hands of police.
Protest organisers have urged people to wear face masks and bring hand sanitiser.
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius said he would rather the protest didn't occur at this time, when the spread of COVID-19 remains a threat.
But he stressed the force supports people's right to protest.
He urged Victorians to follow the Chief Health Officer's directions on social distancing to prevent the event becoming a coronavirus 'tipping point'.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has confirmed protesters won't be fined or arrested for breaking social distancing on Saturday at a Black Lives Matter protest
Thousands of demonstrators are expected to break COVID-19 restrictions in Melbourne's CBD on Saturday to show solidarity with the movement and demand an end to Aboriginal deaths in custody. Pictured: Protesters demonstrate at Martin Place in Sydney during a ''Black Lives Matter'' rally on Tuesday
Mr Cornelius said the force was committed to working with the Victorian Aboriginal community.
'I understand from my engagement with local Aboriginal community members that there is a sense of frustration that it takes a death of a black American to highlight the experience of the Aboriginal community here in Australia,' he said.
'The events in America certainly do give us an opportunity to reflect on our own community.'
Police are also on high alert for counter-protests being held in the city, and the potential for protesters to turn on officers.
The protests are in the wake of the alleged murder of George Floyd (pictured)
Health Minister Jenny Mikakos is also urging people not protest at the weekend.
She noted the vulnerability of Aboriginal people, particularly those aged older than 50.
'Black lives do matter. We know that Aboriginal people are more susceptible to becoming severely ill if they contract coronavirus, and I urge them to heed the advice of the chief health officer to follow all of the health advice, and that is to stay home,' she said.
Opposition police spokesman David Southwick said it was 'astonishing' the premier was allowing police not to fine protesters, given the restrictions had prevented some people from attending the funerals of loved ones.
'The rulebook is out the window on Saturday because Daniel Andrews will not show consistency on this matter,' he told reporters.
'How can anyone think this is fair?'
Upper house Liberal MP David Davis said Western Australia had been on top of the Spanish flu in 1919 before a peace rally celebrating the end of World War One sparked a spike in cases and deaths.
'Having large, mass rallies is a very dangerous matter at this point in time,' he said.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian given Saturday's protest the greenlight, despite the current limits on gatherings in New South Wales
