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'How dare you': Reporter slammed for live cross during minute's silence

People have slammed a reporter on social media after she continued to speak during a minute’s silence at an Invasion Day rally in Hobart.

ABC journalist Edith Bevin appeared at the rally during a live cross while the crowd gathered outside parliament house as part of nationwide protests.

“It’s been interesting to see how many people have turned up to the rally. Behind me now, they’re engaged in a minute’s silence,” Bevin says.

“Obviously this is a day that marks what the Aboriginal community in Tasmania refer to as Invasion Day – the day of white settlement of Australia – and certainly there are a lot of placards about calling for that date to be changed, to be more inclusive.”

While Bevin continues to talk about changing the date of Australia Day, a woman approaches her to confront her for talking during the minute’s silence.

An ABC reporter spoke through a  minute's silence at an Invasion Day rally in Hobart. Source: ABC
An ABC reporter spoke through a minute's silence at an Invasion Day rally in Hobart. Source: ABC

“How dare you?” the woman asks repeatedly, while the reporter ignores her and keeps talking.

A man, believed to be the cameraman, is then seen attempting to pull the woman out of the frame, causing her to yell, “don’t touch me”.

The ABC then switched back to Ros Childs in the studio, who says they will cross back to Bevin when the minute’s silence has been completed.

On social media, people declared the debacle to be “disrespectful”.

“Not sure who at the ABC thought crossing to the Hobart invasion day rally during their minute silence was a good idea,” one person remarked on Twitter.

“Went about as well as you would expect.”

“So if I stood in the middle of an Anzac Day dawn service and started talking conspicuously then that would be fine?” another person asked on social media.

Record numbers seen at Hobart Invasion Day rally

A record Invasion Day rally crowd gathered outside Hobart's parliament house as part of nationwide protests.

Several thousand people attended Tuesday's rally, eclipsing last year's event, organisers say, despite coronavirus social distancing measures and the cancellation of a usual march through the city.

"It's unbelievably fantastic to see a crowd like this," Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre chief executive Heather Sculthorpe said.

"We started with a handful of people in Launceston and within a decade this is what we've come to.

Protestors are seen during an Invasion Day rally in Hobart, Tuesday, January 26, 2021.
Australia Day 2021 has been marked by debates about changing the date or abolishing the holiday, Australia Day honours, and whether rallies should go ahead. Source: AAP

"It's so emotional to see how people are prepared to turn out ... to give up their day and put their bodies forward to say 'we're with you and we know you can win this one'."

Former Greens leader and environmentalist Bob Brown, plus state Greens and Labor opposition leaders, were among speakers calling for Australia Day to be shifted from January 26.

"We are on the move to undo some of the injustice. Not just to change the date but to empower Tasmanian Aboriginal people," Dr Brown said.

Nala Mansell, TAC campaign coordinator, said she had never seen so many non-Aboriginal people come out in Hobart in support of changing the date.

"We thank you," she told the crowd.

With AAP

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