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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Peter Brewer

Organisers urge social distancing for Black Lives Matter protest

A protest to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in the US and draw attention to Indigenous deaths in custody in Australia will happen at Garema Place at 10.30am Friday. Picture: Shutterstock

Protesters supporting the Black Lives Matter movement will be urging participants to observe social distancing where possible, use hand sanitiser and wear masks when they gather in Garema Place on Friday morning as part of a series of peaceful protests nationwide.

Protest organisers say the event will "show solidarity with the George Floyd protest in the USA and protest the institutionalised racism that Indigenous people face here in Australia".

After speakers address the crowd, the group will then march on to Parliament House.

"We felt it was safe to organise this protest as ACT currently has zero cases [of coronavirus], and so the risks are much lower than in the weeks before this," the organisers said in a statement.

"However we are committed to reducing risk as much as possible [for participants]."

The protests will also highlight the need for greater awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths in Australian police custody.

ACT police say they are working with the event organisers to ensure people are able to peacefully protest while also ensuring community safety.

"Police will attend and monitor the protests but will not be focused on issuing infringements for breaches of ACT Health directions," police said in a statement.

"Vulnerable members of the community considering attending the protest should ask themselves if participating in a large gathering is safe for them.

"Officers will allow people to peacefully make their point. While officers will be lenient and focused on educating the community about health directions, property destruction or other violent acts will not be tolerated."

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