Activist vows continued resistance despite protest laws
Paul Silva expects increased police presence at a rally he organized to protest the deaths of indigenous people in custody.
Saturday’s rally was declared illegal after the NSW police commissioner extended the government’s controversial ban on protests.
Police have the power to authorize protests in key parts of Sydney for up to three months under restrictions put in place after 15 people were killed in a terror attack at Bondi Beach in December.
Police can extend the ban every two weeks.
Mr. Silva’s rally will also mark the 10th anniversary of the death of his uncle, David Dungay Jr., at Long Bay Prison.
Mr Dungay, who is diabetic, was restrained by five prison guards after refusing to stop eating biscuits in his cell.
As guards forced Mr Dungay to move, he repeatedly shouted “I can’t breathe” before he died.
A 2019 inquest made training recommendations and the coroner found the way Mr Dungay was restrained contributed to his death.
But the coroner cleared custody staff and rejected Mr Dungay’s family’s claim that four correctional officers be referred for disciplinary proceedings.
Mr Silva said it was important to continue to draw attention to the stories behind the sad statistics of deaths in custody.
He does not expect the restrictions to deter those already planning to attend the rally.
Mr Silva plans to march through the streets of Sydney as originally planned, saying the ban is illegitimate.
“We are there to establish what is happening in the community, we are not there to create any violence or conflict between the police or other members of the community,” he told AAP.
“This is about resisting the government and the colonial system as First Nations people.”
Mr Silva is also involved in organizing an upcoming Occupy Day rally in Sydney.
Although the event is not currently affected by protest rules, Mr Silva said it would be “disgusting” if the rules were extended further.
“This is an important day for Aboriginal people and we have been protesting and mourning that day in many ways, shapes and forms for 237 years,” he said.
“If the government and police decide to enforce the full extent of the law on January 26, it will reveal how the system actually came to the table with First Nations people.”
Although Mr. Silva is concerned about the impact of these laws on protests, he said it would not stop him from holding events in the future and urged other groups to continue organizing rallies for their cause.
“Go ahead, don’t let these laws silence us, don’t let these laws become another form of oppression in 2026,” he said.
“Whether it is death in custody, brutality, land theft, racial discrimination in society, it is important that we make it known.”
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