Hoorar The Racist is Coming to Town!
Protest Australian Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, at NZ National Party Conference.
ImagineNative Action, in collaboration with Radical Youth, is organising an action this weekend to protest the presence of Alexander Downer at the National Party Conference being held at the Langham Hotel in central Tamaki Makaurau (Auckland). We want to send a clear message to Alexander Downer and the National Party that we do not support the Australian Colonial Government’s recent military/police invasion of Aboriginal Lands.
More importantly we wish to stand in solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples of Occupied Australia as this plays a vital role in lifting the spirits of the Aboriginal People, strengthening their will to resist the colonial invasion and economic exploitation of their lands.
Saturday August 4th
2.30pm Mass demo against Downer and the National Party. Meet corner of Symonds Street and K’rd to march on the Langham Hotel, Symonds Street.
7.00pm: Disrupt Downer’s Dinner.
Meet corner of Karangahape Road and Symonds Street, Auckland.
Bring musical instruments (especially taonga puoro – traditional Maori instruments) and noise makers. Some kai will be provided but donations are always welcome!
Since Don Brash resigned as National Party leader the National Party has put in a lot effort to convince us that they care about Tangata Whenua, the environment, and the poor of Aotearoa. Alexander Downer is a leading representative of a colonial government that has invaded Indigenous lands, supported similar actions in Indonesia and supplied troops to the invasion/occupation of Iraq. His government has publicly advocated using Aboriginal lands for large scale mining and nuclear waste dumping operations.
Downer’s presence at the National conference clearly shows that National hasn’t changed at all. It is still a party that endorses racism against indigenous people and represents the interests of the rich and powerful, at the expense of ordinary people and our whenua.
As it is likely that National will form the next colonial government of Aotearoa it is essential they know we will not tolerate racist and exploitative policies such as those enacted by Alexander Downer and his government.
For more information or to endorse this action email indigenous.solidarity (at) gmail.com or call/text 021 1551154
Endorsed by:
ImagineNative Action
Radical Youth
Indonesia Human Rights Committee
A Space Inside: Tamaki Makaurau Anarchist Collective
Global Peace and Justice Auckland (GPJA)
More endorsements to come.
Reminder: A planning and banner making session for this action is being held this Wednesday, August 1st from 7pm at 43 Warwick Ave, Westmere (Look for the Tino Rangatiratanga flag). Bring red, black and yellow paint, banner materials.
As always some kai will be provided but koha always welcome!
Mauriora!
na Te Kanikani Tangata Hara (ImagineNative Action) & Nila Yung (Radical Youth)
Post Colonial Tie – 70s Style!
We just had the absolutely wonderful pleasure of hosting Green Party of Ontario Canada Leader, Frank de Jong who has been in Australia on the Tools of Sustainability Tour (Aucklanders note you can hear Frank speak tonight!). Most Greens I’ve met have been pretty wonderful people but Frank is just that extra bit special! He definitely kept us entertained and we have had some fantastically stimulating conversations.
So to thank Frank for his wonderful spirit, I made him this wee tie. Well, not too wee, I think the widest bit is about 10 cm!
And up close…
The words are as part of the Canadian national anthem, which normally reads “Oh Canada, our home and native land” but it’s been changed to reflect the true state of affairs.
Frank has promised to wear this tie for his maiden speech in parliament if he gets elected in the next provincial election. So all of you readers out there from Ontario, Vote Green!
Aotearoa ALWAYS represent!
This is probably about the closest I’ll get to being nationalistic…
I had tears of joy and pride rolling down my cheeks as I watched the Maori TV coverage of the demo in Tamaki Makaurau yesterday in solidarity with the Aboriginal Nations in opposition to John Howard’s Invasion of Aboriginal Land. Mad props to the two arrested!
Awesome action people, and great to see the Te Whanganui e Tara posse are organising and a little birdy told me there is whispers of organisation in Outatahi as well.
There was also a fantastic statement from Metiria calling on international solidarity. And so far these groups have come out in support:
Whakaminenga o Te Paatu
Te Ata Tino Toa
Conscious Collaborations-Global Indigenous network
Mana Wahine
Solidarity Union
Socialist Worker (Aotearoa)
Human Rights Project Aotearoa
Wellington Wildcat Anarchist Collective
Aocafe (Aotearoa Cafe)
Green Party Aotearoa/NZ
Radical Youth (Auckland)
IA ImagineNative Action
Us crew in Australia better get our shit together then eh 
Always was, always will be, Aboriginal Land!
Stop The Genocide
Yeah what she said!
Howard’s new Tampa children overboard are our Aboriginal children.The Little Children are Sacred report does not advocate physically and psychologically invasive examinations of Aboriginal children, which could only be carried out anally and vaginally. It does not recommend scrapping the permit system to enter Aboriginal lands, nor does it recommend taking over Aboriginal ‘towns’ by enforced leases. These latter two points in the Howard scheme hide the true reason for the Federal Government’s use of the latest report for blatant political opportunism.
It has been an openly stated agenda that Howard wants to move Aboriginal people off their lands, and has made recent attempts to buy off Aboriginal people by offering them millions for agreeing to lease their lands to the Federal Government, e.g. Tiwi Islands and Tangentyere in Alice Springs. There was also the statement by the Federal Government that it could not continue (?!) to provide essential services to remote communities, which raised an uproar of responses in the press. The focus on the sexual abuse of children is guaranteed to evoke the most emotive responses, and therefore command attention, just like the manipulation of the Tampa situation. But while the attention of the media and the public is being emotionally coerced, what is being sneaked in under the covers?
Two issues specifically – mining companies have applied for more exploration permits in the Northern Territory, the Jabiluka uranium mining operations at Kakadu have already hit the media because of the mining company’s applications to the Government to significantly expand its operations, including establishing new mines at Coronation Government has already mooted that nuclear waste should be dumped in the Northern Territory, on Aboriginal lands. Aboriginal traditional owners are absolutely opposed to this. We have a long history of deaths and illness from radiation, from the atomic tests at Woomera in the 1950s to the current high incidences of carcinomas in the community at Kakadu near the Jabiluka site. The main obstacle to the Federal Government’s desired expansion of mining operations in the Northern Territory and nuclear waste dumping is, of course, the Aboriginal people who have occupancy of, and rights under the common law to, their traditional lands.
Continue Reading →
Exactly
This is the last throw of the dice for John Howard. He is doing one big favour for the mining industry which he has faithfully served in public life for the past 30 years by rolling back Aboriginal ownership of their tribal lands.
Cynically, cruelly but utterly predictably, he’s doing it under the hypocritical colours of humanitarianism. (Very similar to the invasion and occupation of Iraq sold as “spreading democracy”). In his four terms as PM, he has starved indigenous health, education and housing of funds, abolished ATSIC and pointedly marginalised the Aboriginal Affairs portfolio. This particular pre-election pitch is aimed at Lateline viewers, readers of The Age and The SMH and ABC stalwarts, the demographic that constitutes Australian (small “l”) liberalism. These are the feeble-brained, hand-wringers who are congenitally incapable of separating the wood from the trees. They are types currently heard sobbing: “I’m no fan of Mr Howard, but at least he’s DOING SOMETHING!”
Yes, he is: he’s giving the mining giants the leg-up they need to start exploring, digging and quarrying in indigenous lands in the Northern Territory and then elsewhere. He is being aided and abetted by Kevin Rudd’s craven behaviour. Instead of falling into line with Howard’s agenda, he should have demanded complete details of the plan, the highest-level briefing, sought face-to-face meetings with Aboriginal leaders, state premiers, police and army officers and taken the lead in a national debate. Instead, he mouthed pieties such as “I’m taking Mr Howard at his word” and “I believe the Prime Minister when he says he is responding to a national crisis” etc etc. Has anyone realised that these are almost the same words used by Kim Beazley when he backed Howard during the Tampa scam? By his pusillanimous approach, Rudd has vacated leadership on the tragic issue of rescuing Aboriginal communities and given Howard the opportunity to play his sickening Father of the Nation role. Paul Keating, you were right about the Rudd team of fixers, hucksters, flyweights and spineless opportunists.
Alex Mitchell
UPDATE
And as for mr ‘it’s time us black fullahs got over ourselves and start prioritising kids (and my ego while we’re at it). And if we have to chose between land and our kids I know what I’d chose” fuckface.
DO YOU NOT GET IT?
You are actually backing one of the most racist pieces of government action since the beginning of colonisation in Australia.
“Oh but it’s time to stop talking and have some action.”
OK so you wanna go and explain that to the women in these communities who have had absolutely no communication or consultation on this plan and all they’ve heard is that the army is coming in? You wanna go explain to them that noone’s gonna steal their kids? You wanna ssuggest that taking off into the bush during this time of the year is probably not too smart given how cold it’s getting in the desert?
Oh no, too late you can’t cause it’s too late.
Wake up Noel. We all know that the situation is untenable. We’ve been lobbying the pollies for ages on what to do. What he’s done now is not out of compassion. It wasn’t thought through. It has been executed appalingly.
And yes, we will hold you responsible. You have his ear, but you stopped listening to the people.
Bloody hell I’m pissed off.
Landed Gentry
I am an anarchist
My partner is a georgist
We bought land
IRONY!
We acknowledge that we live, eat, play, dance and sing on Aboriginal land. (Up Yours John Howard)
Justice for Mulrunji
I’m not sure why but a part of me still hoped that there would be some justice on this case. An Indigenous man loses his life for what? 40 years on and you would’ve thought that the Queensland Police would have caught on to the fact that Indigenous Australians have the same righs as other citizens. I wonder if he would’ve given a dog more attention if it was calling out in pain…
In solidarity, I totally support this demo. And I call for a Treaty process to be entered into with the people of Palm Island to acknowledge their sovereignty.
Demand Justice for Mulrunji
Mourn for the death of justice in Queensland
Rally, Friday 22 June, 12:30 pm
Steps of the old GPO for a speak out and march to State Parliament
Wear black or I ndige nous colours.
- Implement the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal deaths in Custody in full!
- Establish elected community controlled civilian review boards to hold the cops to account
- No justice on stolen land
Continue Reading →
Called jointly by Indigenous Social Justice Association – Melbourne and Socialist Alliance
Camp Sovereignty – v2.0
So it’s been a year since we successfully occupied on of Australia’s most valuable piece of real estate for 60 days without a single person being arrested. We managed to maintain a drug, alcohol and violence free camp – bar the violence on the part of the police on the final night. And we managed to get the message out to the world and the main issues for the oldest known culture on this planet are genocide, sovereignty and treaty.
And we had a shit load of fun.
So we’re getting together again on Monday for the anniversary of the day we set up camp. I urge all of the 10 thousand or so Melburnians who visited during the camp to pop down for a cup of tea and catch up.
Oh and someone please bring a BBQ, eh Rosa?
If you want to know more about Camp Sovereignty and how seriously cool fun it was, check out the Camp Sov site, it’s pretty.
UPDATE (belated one I’m sorry): There was a little bit of confusion amongst the Police about who was giving the orders and there was a temporary moment of humanity on their part. Don’t worry, someone remembered the are supposed to be the tool of the colonialist oppressor and they started to behave accordingly. See Indymedia for details.
When will the whole world be watching?
It’s Australia Day today. Otherwise know as Invasion Day. Otherwise (and more recently) known as Aboriginal Sovereignty Day.
So while all the white fullahs run around handing out medals and having barbies, a small minority of people in Australia get together to hold an alternative celebration.
Not a celebration of the day that Captain Cook turned up and declared the place empty and therefore British. Rather a celebration of the approximately 80 000 years of Aboriginal culture on the continent now known as Australia.
They celebrate the oldest known culture on this planet. A culture that has survived despite the ongoing criminal genocide being perpetrated against the First Nation peoples of Australia.
They celebrate the diversity in language, art, song, dance and tradition. Despite the outrageous destructive behaviour still going on today to try and wipe this diversity of the memories of the people and the land.
‘Nobody owns the fire. Nobody owns the Kangaroo and the Emu. There’s no copyright on the boomerang.’ Uncle Kevin Buzzacott
They celebrate the spirit of resistance. Despite the divide and conquer strategies of the State, hell bent on killing anyone that gets in their way.
And they honour all of those who have fallen before.
And they call on the rest of the world to join with them in this celebration. And call on the rest of the world to join with their voices calling for an Australia that ends the Genocide, recognises the Sovereignty and makes a Treaty to honour and protect Indigenous Australia.
Reconciliation is not assimilation. Assimilation is cultural genocide.
Without the culture and without the spirit, the land will die.
Without the land, the people will die.
Please spread the word.