At Least 15,000 Gather For Anti-Racism Rally In Sydney As Ban On Protest Lifted - Reports

At least 15,000 people have gathered in Australia's Sydney as organizers of Black Lives Matter rallies against racism and police brutality have won a last-minute appeal to reverse a ban on holding the event over the pandemic, media reported on Saturday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th June, 2020) At least 15,000 people have gathered in Australia's Sydney as organizers of Black Lives Matter rallies against racism and police brutality have won a last-minute appeal to reverse a ban on holding the event over the pandemic, media reported on Saturday.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court of New South Wales banned protests in Sydney scheduled for Saturday due to the existing COVID-19 restrictions, including the need to maintain social distance and limits on large public events.

According to the ABC news broadcaster, earlier on Saturday, the demonstrators challenged the decision in the Court of Appeal of New South Wales. The appeal was granted, which meant that protesters who would take part in the event would not be prosecuted for breaching public health orders.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, at least 15,000 people had already gathered in front of Sydney Town Hall for the 'Stop All Black Deaths in Custody' rally when the ban was reversed.

Peaceful protests in solidarity with George Floyd, an African-American man who died as a result of violence in Minneapolis police custody, kicked off on Saturday in major Australian cities, including Adelaide, Brisbane, and Melbourne, gathering thousands of people. Organizers of the rallies called on the activists to wear face masks, use sanitizers and respect the social distancing rules, as the country is still combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

The death of George Floyd on May 25 has sparked a worldwide movement against police brutality, racism and social injustice, as a video showing a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeling on Floyd's neck after the latter had been arrested was widely circulated online on the next day. Apart from the United States, mass protests have taken place in Greece, Italy the United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, France, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and other countries.