Irresponsible or acceptable? Australians divided over Black Lives Matter protests

Around 60,000 Australians gathered in the country’s capital cities over the weekend to protest against racism and police brutality. Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide residents were packed tightly into city centres to stand with the black community following the tragic death of George Floyd in America, who died at the hands of a police officer.

While the protests remained relatively peaceful compared to those in the US and UK, many including Minister for Finance Mathias Cormann have slammed the actions of Aussies, labelling them “irresponsible” for gathering in masses amid the pandemic and posing an “unacceptable risk” to the community. The politician shared his strong views at the weekend and said protestors were “selfish” and “self-indulgent” for taking part, especially given social distancing rules were completely ignored.

And on Monday he stood firm with his opinion, speaking on the Today show about the potential of a second wave of Covid-19 now occurring because of the actions of these people. Despite receiving some backlash from the community, Cormann said his views are relevant and people need a “reality check” if they think protesting right now is appropriate.

"I think there's got to be a reality check here… right now, in the middle of a pandemic, to pursue these sorts of mass gatherings is completely reckless and irresponsible." Do you agree with Mathias Cormann's views of the Black Lives Matter protests? #9Today pic.twitter.com/5GhP3iEoSK

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) June 7, 2020

“Many Australians have made significant sacrifices to help keep the community safe from the coronavirus spread,” he said. “Many people have lost their jobs in order to help suppress the spread of this virus to save lives. As a nation right now, a very important challenge for us [is] to avoid the second wave. These sorts of mass gatherings, at a time when there are still severe restrictions all around Australia, on people generally, does expose our community to an unacceptable and unnecessary risk.”

The finance minister went on to say that while he agreed the issue of racism and police brutality is “important and legitimate”, now’s not the time to gather together, and it’s putting people’s lives at serious risk.

black lives matter protest in brisbane, australia #BlackLivesMatter #protest2020 #GeorgeFloydProtests #brisbane #australia #AboriginalLivesMatter #NoJusticeNoPeaceProsecuteThePolice pic.twitter.com/DllVbS5ML6

— rapfredrogers (@rapfredrogers) June 6, 2020

“I think it’s completely and utterly inconsistent with what’s expected of everybody else right around Australia,” he said. “I think there’s got to be a reality check here. Right now, in the middle of a pandemic to pursue these sorts of mass gatherings is completely irresponsible.”

However, not everybody agrees and on Monday morning Northern Territory senator Malarndirri McCarthy hit out at Cormann and his views on the protests. Also speaking on the Today show, the politician said more action is needed to ensure the safety of Indigenous people throughout the country.

“The issue of first nation’s people dying in custody is what is reckless in this country and irresponsible,” McCarthy said. “What I would say to Mathias Cormann and the prime minister, pull together a National Cabinet to reduce the high rates of incarceration and Aboriginal deaths in custody.”

"This issue resonates far deeper than any other issue in Australia and around the world… It is time to get on board or get out of the way." @Malarndirri19 on the Black Lives Matter protests that took place on the weekend. #9Today pic.twitter.com/hu3Mt5ABqS

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) June 7, 2020

As for the rest of Australia, the views on the protests remain divided. Some are annoyed that events such as the Anzac Day services were cancelled earlier this year, yet protests are allowed. The decision to cancel the commemorative services was a difficult one, and although people still gathered on their front lawns to pay their respects to the fallen, it wasn’t the same.

“It’s ridiculous, these protests were allowed to happen during a global pandemic! They should have just got on their front lawn like we did for Anzac Day!” @BrendanMayne1 commented on Twitter. “Thanks to all you protestors that are only doing it now for the second and larger lockdowns we can expect to come!”

“Totally agree,” @virginsnowbunny said. “The Indigenous community needs a paradigm shift in thinking not a dangerous protest. When failure is a result the intelligent mind looks for alternate solutions. Working at a family level as a community to raise healthy, educated, law-abiding children would be smart.” While @wetropic added: “Missed the birth of my grandchild and still haven’t seen him for 10 weeks now. Not fair they bend the rules for Indigenous funerals and left wing protests about a man who lives in the northern hemisphere.”

Meanwhile, others have said people have the right to protest and protesting is essential to spread awareness and create change in not only Australia but the rest of the world. Videos and messages from those who took part in the protests have been spread across social media, with the hashtag #blacklilvesmatter.

“We are with you … keep it up, it’s about human rights,” @diasporaonline wrote on Twitter.