Camp Sovereignty's sacred flame still burning

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 - 10:00

Tony Iltis, Melbourne

Despite threats by local and state governments, court injunctions and a racist propaganda campaign by the Herald-Sun and the Returned Servicemen's League (RSL), Indigenous activists remain at "Camp Sovereignty" on the Kings Domain.

The protest camp was set up by the Black GST group on March 12 to use the world media attention on the Commonwealth Games to publicise the demands for recognition of Aboriginal sovereignty and a treaty. During the games the camp was the organising point for a number of protest actions and on March 26, when the games finished, the site was entrusted by the Black GST to the Camp Sovereignty activists.

On April 7, police handed protesters an eviction notice, to be carried out by 4pm on April 10. Several hundred supporters were at the site by the time the deadline arrived.

Wurundjeri elder Vicki Nicholson-Brown, a government-recognised cultural heritage inspector, obtained a 30-day emergency declaration of protection. The following morning, Justice Betty King of the Victorian Supreme Court ruled that, while the protesters and their "sacred flame" could remain, their tents and other equipment had to go. On April 13, protesters packed up their camping gear but vowed they would remain with the fire.

The Murdoch-owned Herald-Sun attacked the state government and Melbourne Lord Mayor John So for being soft on the activists, who were described as "a rabble". The RSL weighed in, demanding that the camp fire be extinguished by ANZAC Day so it would not compete with the RSL's "sacred flame" at the Shrine of Remembrance. Former RSL boss Bruce Ruxton demanded that authorities "demolish the tents, put the fire out and throw them out".

When Black GST representative Robbie Thorpe responded by explaining how the courage of Indigenous soldiers, such as his grandfather, who was killed in World War 1, was unrecognised in the ANZAC mythology, the RSL/Herald-Sun racist campaign reached fever pitch. "Any shred of goodwill towards Thorpe has vanished with his inflammatory comments against the ANZACs", the April 13 Herald-Sun intoned.

From Green Left Weekly, April 26, 2006.

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