US black activist defies deportation threat

US black activist defies deportation threat

By Bill Mason

BRISBANE — "Racism is an international phenomenon", former US Black Panther Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin told a meeting at the Opal Centre on July 16, as he continued his speaking tour of Australia in defiance of ongoing threats by the federal government to deport him.

"The mistake John Howard made was to let everyone know they were going to expel me. Now I have received support from all over the country and around the world. Racism goes back to the whole history of this country, but this is the most openly racist government for a long time. However, this has galvanised people. The potential for deep social change is there.

"The government can drag me off to jail tomorrow, but they can't take away the fact that I have spoken to you. It's not just Hanson that's the problem; it's the whole racist, capitalist system. Ultimately the anti-racist movement has to link up with other movements, and most importantly to combine with the indigenous people's struggles."

Ervin was jailed for three days in early July as the government sought to deport him as a person of "bad character". Under threat of losing a High Court case on the grounds of natural justice, the government was forced to release him.

The Immigration Department has since ordered Ervin to provide information about his legal record and activities. Ervin was granted an extension of a few days to obtain documents from the US so he can make an "informed, considered and thorough response". In the meantime, he is continuing his speaking tour.

From GLW issue 282