Friends like These
Wandering through the Sydney CBD yesterday I saw posters stuck to walls advertising what amounts to a protest in memoriam of TJ Hickey, the young Aboriginal boy whose death triggered the 2004 Redfern Riots.
Whilst the Wikipedia entry notes that "Commemorative rallies have been held every year on the anniversary of the incident at the site of Hickey's death" this one has a different feel about it. The sponsors are the typical protest rent-a-crowd and it's a pretty safe bet that they are trying to make this the sequel to what happened in Canberra last week.
The note on Indymedia reads:
These are supporters that the Aboriginal Community can do without.
Whilst the Wikipedia entry notes that "Commemorative rallies have been held every year on the anniversary of the incident at the site of Hickey's death" this one has a different feel about it. The sponsors are the typical protest rent-a-crowd and it's a pretty safe bet that they are trying to make this the sequel to what happened in Canberra last week.
The note on Indymedia reads:
on this 8th anniversary we are attempting to build our numbers to show the redfern police and the nsw government of barry o'farrell that we are not going to forget our true obligation to the memory of tj, his mother gail hickey and his sisters. as they will never forget the injustice that was done to tj on that infamous day, nor should we.In addition to some vaguely named Aboriginal groups, the poster also notes sponsorship of "The Unions", "LatinoAmerica Forum" (there's a relevant alliance), the Socialist Alternative and the Socialist Alliance (the alternative to the Socialist Alternative).
These are supporters that the Aboriginal Community can do without.
posted by Dan at 9:02 AM |
2 Comments:
I am saddened that you do not understand the brutal facts of Australian history.
Everything is the fault of the whitefella. Blackfellas got no obligation or need to change or be responsible for anything - you broke it you own it.
That's why you mob said sorry - right? You knew it was all your fault. Now that you have acknowledged the truth you need to recognise aboriginal sovereignty. Whitefellas are our serfs.
Jabberwocky,
I understand some of what you're saying and there is no doubt that there are sections of the Aboriginal community who have become completely welfare dependent and have a chip on their shoulder about 'whitey'.
There is a MAJOR problem in prison of Aboriginal people who already have a chip on their shoulder, being recruited by Islamists to their ideology, ending up with a chip on both shoulders.
At the same time, there is no doubt that the Aboriginal community does suffer discrimination and hardship, particularly when it comes to employment. It would be naive or dishonest to think otherwise. The answers are complex and I don't think handouts solve problems without causing them also.
I do not think the welfare sector has done well at this at all, and if anything perpetuates the problem to justify their own existence. Any number of UN organisations would fit this criteria (and don't get me started on the Palestinians who are the biggest bunch of rent-seeking layabouts on Earth).
Personally, I've spoken with an Aboriginal business leader who said that he was less interested in someone saying "sorry" than he was in seeing drugs and alcohol out of Aboriginal communities, and their children forced to attend school. However his thoughts weren't echoed by many on the Left as they couldn't handle the idea that John Howard could have possibly been right. So instead we have people 'occupying' a tent on a lawn somewhere (instead of getting a job and creating a future).
Post a Comment
<< Home