Australian Court Bans Black Lives Matter Protest Over Coronavirus Risk

The New South Wales Supreme Court has banned a Black Lives Matter protest from being held in Sydney this weekend. This, after the NSW Police sought for a court order to stop the assembly from happening.

Thousands were expected to take the streets this weekend as a form of solidarity with U.S. demonstrators over the death of George Floyd, an African-American, in the hands of Minneapolis police. The protests seeking justice for Floyd and the end of racism and police brutality in the U.S. has been going on for over seven days.

The court released its decision on Friday, citing the threat of the coronavirus. Australia remains one of the countries with the lowest COVID-19 cases. As of June 05, 10:09 p.m. AEST, there are 7,251 confirmed cases and 102 deaths, far from the United States’ 1.9 million cases and 110,210 deaths. There have also been no community transmissions in NSW in over a week.

"Everybody has given up a lot in order to defeat this disease," said Justice Desmond Fagan. "It's not a time to throw out our caution."

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison also urged the public not to attend the protests. Demonstrations have already been held in Perth and Canberra and more are expected in the coming days. He believes there are other ways to support the cause without having to congregate at one place, heightening the risks of another COVID-19 surge.

"The health advice is very clear, it's not a good idea to go," Morrison told reporters. "Let's find a better way and another way to express these sentiments ... let's exercise our liberties responsibly."

Organizers of the protests have slammed the decision, however. Barrister Greg Barns SC, and adviser to the Australian Assange campaign, called the decision an “abuse of COVID powers.”

Despite the court’s move, some protests are still expected to push through this weekend.