PM urges Australians to be extremely cautious at US protests

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged Australians caught up in the anti-racism protests to be "extremely cautious." Earlier this week, an Australian cameraman was struck by American police on live television while covering protests in Washington, D.C., local media reported. The incident occurred on air as Channel 7 reporter Amelia Brace was covering protests near the White House during the network's Sunrise morning program. On Wednesday, two news crews from Channel 9 were attacked in separate incidents while covering the protests in London, local media reported.

"These are dangerous situations, people should exercise great care in where they're placing themselves," Morrison told reporters in Googong on Thursday.

Protests around Australia have rallied around the treatment of indigenous Australians and also in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States, following the death of George Floyd.

Floyd died after a white police officer pressed a knee into his neck for several minutes even after he stopped moving and pleading for air. Morrison said Australia has its own challenges, referring to the treatment of indigenous Australians. They make up 2% of the country's population but 27% of its prison population. According to the Pew Research Center, African Americans made up 12% of the U.S. adult population but 33% of its prison population in 2017.