Tony Iltis, Melbourne

At a reception for Queen Elizabeth II on March 15, held at the Royal Exhibition Building and hosted by PM John Howard, Australian flags and Union Jacks were well outnumbered by Aboriginal flags. Royal well-wishers were also outnumbered by Indigenous protesters and their supporters.

The reception was part of the Commonwealth Games media show, games that have been dubbed the “Stolenwealth Games” by the Black GST: Genocide to be stopped, Sovereignty to be restored and a Treaty to be negotiated. The protesters have set up “Camp Sovereignty” on the King’s Domain and organised protest actions to be held throughout the games.

The reception protesters pointed out that sovereignty was never ceded by Australia’s Aboriginal people, and demanded an end to the oppression perpetrated in the Queen’s name. The Queen, Howard, Victorian Premier Steve Bracks and the governor-general were greeted with jeers and chants of “Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land!” and “Land rights now!”

Indigenous elders and activists from around Australia explained how historical and current injustices — from massacres and dispossession, confinement in concentration camps, the theft of wages and children, to high imprisonment rates and deaths in custody — constitute genocide under international law. The Black GST’s Robbie Thorpe delivered a written notice to the Queen that the case would be taken to international courts if the issues weren’t addressed.

Representatives of the Wurundjeri people, the traditional owners of Melbourne, and other Victorian communities pointed out that the Labor state government has a particularly bad record on native title. As an Australian flag was burned, Murri activists from Brisbane explained that it, along with the Union Jack and the monarchy, symbolised respect for property rights rather than human rights.

The day ended with a march through the city to Camp Sovereignty. For information about the ongoing protests, visit <http://www.blackgst.com> and <http://www.stolenwealthgames.com>.

From Green Left Weekly, March 22, 2006.
Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.

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