Aboriginal activists to appeal conviction

Issue 

By Kristian Whittaker

CANBERRA — Four Aboriginal activists — Isabel Coe, Harold Williams, Sonya Brown and Ian Williams — were recently convicted but not sentenced on trespassing charges resulting from the 80-strong peaceful occupation of Old Parliament House on January 27-28. The court rejected defence arguments that the four were entitled to reclaim the building as unused crown property.

The occupation coincided with the re-establishment, after 20 years, of the Aboriginal Embassy on the lawns outside the building. Isabel Coe is a member of the Wiradjuri people, and is also related to the Ngunnawal, who together are the traditional landowners of the region around the ACT.

Coe participated in the original Tent Embassy protest in 1972 and has been active around Aboriginal issues ever since. "As far as I'm concerned the whole court hearing was a farce", she told Green Left after the verdict.

However, it was necessary to fight out the case "because we need to exhaust all domestic avenues before taking our case to the International Court of Justice. We weren't expecting any other decision, though I think the magistrate was very cowardly in not acting on the information we placed before him."

The magistrate relied on an earlier High Court ruling (the Mabo ruling) that Aboriginal people had no right to use a piece of land if they were not living on it. "Our response to this is that we never had any choice in the matter. My people were rounded up and forced into reserves; otherwise we'd still be living on and using that land."

The four are now seeking legal advice for an appeal. "Our lawyers are studying the transcripts for any grounds to move soon to the International Court of Justice.

"For us, this has just been the first stage. I find the whole idea that Aboriginal people could be charged with trespass simply ridiculous. It is hypocritical in the extreme that the very ones we're making complaints about are now making the judgments against us.

"How could this be a fair hearing? Since the court case I've had numerous calls from Aboriginal people all over Australia offering messages of support, encouraging us not to stop now but to see it through.

"Next year is the International Year of Indigenous Peoples. The Aboriginal Embassy will remain indefinitely opposite the Old Parliament House, and while ever it is there it remains a symbol of our struggle for our country."

The Aboriginal Embassy welcomes donations of firewood, tents, food etc. Financial contributions to the embassy may be made c/- the National Aboriginal Government, Commonwealth Bank branch 2919, account no. 10038107.

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