Ire at Oz PM’s stance on rally, racism

– Black Lives Matter protesters should be punished for ignoring lockdown rules, Australia’s prime minister Scott Morrison said yesterday, sparking anger by also claiming slavery never existed in the country.

Australians are demonstrating against systemic racism at home and in the US and more protests are planned for the coming days.

Critics have called for marches to be banned on health grounds, sparking debate over freedom of speech and the country’s colonial past.

Sydney

Morrison said the protests violated social distancing rules and hampered lifting a shutdown, endangering the economy.

Asked during a radio interview if demonstrators should be charged, he said: “I think they should.

“I think people wanting to take this further this weekend are showing a great disrespect to their fellow Australians,” he said, as Victoria state reported one demonstrator in Melbourne had tested positive for the coronavirus, which causes Covid-19.

The Black Lives Matter movement has resonated with Australians – a country also wrestling with the legacy of a racist past.

During the interview, Morrison praised British explorer Captain James Cook and claimed, “there was no slavery in Australia”.

The remark was roundly rejected by historians and activists, who pointed to evidence of indentured Aboriginal workers and thousands of slaves taken from the Pacific islands to work on Australian sugar cane plantations. –