April 10,
2015
Protesters
are marching through the CBD in opposition to the closure of indigenous
communities in remote WA. (9NEWS)
A large
protest opposing the closure of remote indigenous communities in WA has shut
down streets in central Melbourne.
Several
thousand people gathered outside the city's main railway station Flinders
Street at 4pm.
"Enough
is enough - where is the justice for Aboriginal people?" a speaker shouted
to the crowd before the walk through CBD streets, flanked by police.
Protesters
gathered underneath the clocks at Flinders Street Station. (9NEWS)
Traffic
on Swanston and Flinders Streets is blocked due to the large turnout to the
protests. (9NEWS)
The rally
forced the closure of Flinders and Elizabeth streets, where surrounding streets
soon became clogged with cars and trams forced to stop.
Rally
goers gathered again outside Flinders Street station, blocking the
intersection, just on 5pm.
Police, on
foot and on riot horses, followed the marchers all the way.
Jason
Maxwell, 31 of South East Dandenong Ranges, was among the protesters.
"I
disagree, strongly disagree, in selling out on the aboriginal communities just
for money," Mr Maxwell told AAP.
He said
the WA and Federal governments should recognise the importance of the link
between indigenous people and their lands, and it was wrong to describe this as
a lifestyle choice.
"It
is the worst thing that a modern government could ever say," Mr Maxwell
said.
"It's
a political tool to separate us, and I think it is wrong."
The
protesters did not enjoy universal support, with a heckler heard to shout
"move over to WA".
© AAP 2015
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