Protesters march in Sydney in solidarity with US demonstrators

More than 1,000 protesters marched through downtown Sydney on Tuesday in solidarity with Americans demonstrating against the death of George Floyd half a world away. Police escorted a crowd carrying banners that said: "Black Lives Matter," "Aboriginal Lives Matter," "White Silence is Violence" and "We See You, We Hear You, We Stand With You." The group marched from Hyde Park to New South Wales state Parliament with plans to continue to the U.S. Consulate.

The protest proceeded despite some organizers canceling it Monday for fear of conflict with counter protesters. But no counter protest emerged. Around 2,000 demonstrators gathered in Australia's west coast city of Perth on Monday night to peacefully protest Floyd's death, and rallies are planned for other Australian cities this week.

Referring to the violence in U.S. streets, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said "there's no need to import things ... happening in other countries here to Australia.".