Australia govt not allowing second anti-racism demo

An Australian state government says it will allow 2,000 fans to attend an Australian rules football match but won't allow a black lives matter rally on same day. South Australia Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said on Tuesday a crowd will be allowed to attend elaide Oval on Saturday for a match between local teams Port elaide and elaide Crows. But police would t allow a second exemption from social distancing rules to allow a protest in elaide on same day against death in Minnesota of George Floyd.

South Australia is first state or territory to allow a crowd to return to professional sport. Competitions have resumed in empty stiums as pandemic lockdown is lifted. South Australia police allowed an exemption from social distancing rules last Saturday to allow 5,000 demonstrators to legally gar at a Black Lives Matter rally in elaide. Similar protesters were held in or major Australian cities on that day, highlighting large proportion if indigeus Australians who are imprisoned. But Stevens said re would be future exemptions. "We ackwledged unique and exceptional circumstances of protests we saw Saturday. public sentiment around horrific events we saw in United States and it was appropriate we gave consideration to that," Stevens said of exemption.

"To continually allow people to disregard restrictions we have in place would make a mockery of good efforts of everybody else who are doing ir best to abide by those restrictions," Stevens ded. South Australia has COVID-19 cases in any hospitals. Australia as a whole has reported around 7,250 infections, including 559 still active, and 102 deaths linked to virus.