The New South Wales police force has won a Supreme Court injunction against a Black Lives Matter march that was due to take place in Sydney on Tuesday, July 28, ruling it a prohibited public assembly. According to the ABC, more than 4,000 people had indicated that they would attend the rally, although it is possible, given the scale of the historic marches that drew an estimated 20,000 people to the Sydney CBD last month, that the turn out could be far greater.
NSW Police took the organisers of the rally to court over concerns that a mass gathering could lead to a second wave of infection on a scale similar to that currently impacting Victoria. While case numbers are still relatively low in Sydney, there has been a steady and persistent spread of the virus in the community in recent weeks. NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian said last week that the state was on “high alert” as a potential surge in cases remained very possible, adding that the next two weeks were a critical juncture in the State's efforts to suppress the virus.
The Supreme Court agreed with the NSW Police's filing that the protest would breach current public health orders prohibiting mass gatherings where physical distancing can not be enforced. Despite the ruling, organisers had already announced on social media that they would file an appeal against the injunction and that the rally would go ahead regardless of the outcome. The march is protesting the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in police custody.