Thousands of people attend rallies around Australia

Thousands of people took part in Black Lives Matter protests across Australia on Saturday.The first gathering in the southern city of Adelaide was held to honour George Floyd and to protest against the deaths of indigenous Australians in custody.

Thousands of people packed into a square in the city centre. Hundreds of protesters also marched in the New South Wales state country town of Wagga Wagga.

Rally organizer Joe Williams told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation he's hoping protesters will influence and educate their families about racial issues.

"This isn't the end," Williams said. "It isn't about now having a rally and then going away and everything disappears. It's about now having people go back and influence their community and influence their family and their circle as to why these sort of things are important," he said.

Thousands of people were planning to a rally in Sydney, but New South Wales state Supreme Court Justice Des Fagan ruled on Friday that the rally was not an authorised public assembly.

Fagan said he understood the rally was designed to coincide with similar events in other countries. Floyd, a black man, died in handcuffs while a Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee on his neck even after he pleaded for air and stopped moving.

In Sydney, outdoor gatherings are restricted to 10 people, while up to 50 people can go to funerals, places of worship, restaurants, pubs and cafes.

(Image Credit: AP)