Australian PM Scott Morrison wants protesters charged for violating Covid-19 rules

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the protests violated social-distancing rules and hampered the lifting of a coronavirus 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 coronavirus.

Morrison did not elaborate on what charges he believes the protesters should face, but authorities have warned they will at least issue fines for violating restrictions on public gatherings.

Australia has seen sustained low levels of community transmission of the virus and only a handful of new cases now appear daily. Restaurants, bars and schools have reopened and many sports have restarted, though strict social distancing rules remain.

The Black Lives Matter movement has resonated strongly with many in Australia — a country also wrestling with the legacy of a racist past.

During the interview, Morrison claimed that, “while slave ships continued to travel around the world, when Australia was established, yes sure, it was a pretty brutal settlement… but 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.

Tens of thousands of Australians demonstrated this week against systemic racism at home and in the United States, 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.