Newsletter date: 2 February 2012
Contents:
* Eye-witness accounts of the protest on Invasion Day / Sovereignty Day
* The Tent Embassy protest on Invasion Day / Sovereignty Day
* The march up to Parliament House from the Tent Embassy
* EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNTS OF THE PROTEST ON INVASION DAY / SOVEREIGNTY DAY:
redSTACHE: The Tent Embassy Debacle from A Protester’s POV
http://wgwau.com/blog/2012/01/26/the-tent-embassy-debacle-from-a-protest...
26 Jan 12: "Speaking to Sam Castro, currently at the Tent Embassy, I was able to get a run down of the day’s events.
The morning started with speeches being made at the Tent Embassy on a range of subjects until one person stood up and explained to the crowd that Tony Abbott had remarked to the media that he believed the Tent Embassy was no longer relevant and should be packed up and moved on; information had just come through that Tony Abbott was at The Lobby, a restaurant near the Old Parliament House, and the suggestion was made that the group should go there and ask Abbott to talk to the crowd and explain himself. ... A contingent of about 100 protesters made their way up the road to The Lobby and surrounded it. Though they were loud and noisy they were non-violent."
Crikey: View from the Tent Embassy: reality v news reports
http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/01/27/view-from-the-tent-embassy-reality-v...
27 Jan 12: "The most striking aspect of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy protests, which sprung onto the media’s radar on Survival Day, was the stark difference between the reports of the events, and the reality. ... While protesters were angry, it’s safe to say the reaction would not have been as emotional had Abbott not made those comments. But while there was anger, it was far from a "riot". A riot involves violence and a disturbing of the peace. While it was definitely a loud demonstration, there was no damage. ... There were about 1000 protesters around the café when Gillard and Abbott were rushed through their own mob of security guards." Amy McQuire
Mike Stuchbery: Australia Day
[scroll down page] http://mike-stuchbery.com/2012/01/27/australia-day/
27 Jan 12: "EDIT: Well, dang, my little brother was there. Here’s his account:
“I was there with my wife and her uncle, after deciding to have lunch at a cafe adjoining the Lobby, before having a poke around the 40th anniversary of the tent embassy. After 15 minutes or so after sitting down, a few activists from the celebrations noticed that Abbott was in the Lobby and wandered over to start heckling. ... After another 5 minutes or so, the crowd grew larger and the chants became a bit more organised and you could hear knocking on the windows. ... Now… as emphasised yesterday, Em is pregnant with twins… if there protests were in any way violent, I would have got all paternal and walked Em away. There was almost no prospect of violence."
ABC The Drum Opinion: Aussie Day 'riot': perspective and balance hard to find
http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3798896.html
30 Jan 12: "The bias, hysteria and divisiveness of our public political conversation is never far from view, but this week I encountered it firsthand. I watched outside as the Aboriginal protest unfolded at The Lobby restaurant on Australia Day. The event reported in the media and reacted to by many commentators is a lurid parody of what actually happened. Perspective and balance are hard to find. The protest was not violent. It was certainly rowdy and confronting. The protesters chanted loudly and angrily, and some beat time on the glass walls of the restaurant." Geoff Davies
National Indigenous Times: Abbott picks a fight
http://www.nit.com.au/news/514-abbott-picks-a-fight.html
1 Feb 12: "By Gerry Georgatos who attended the Tent Embassy celebrations and was present throughout all the events leading up to the confrontation with the Prime Minister's minders and police. Below is a true and accurate account of what took place and how the response by the Prime Minister's minders and police turned a peaceful protest into a shambles. The Federal Opposition leader, Tony Abbott incited outrage... "
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association:
Aboriginal Leaders Did NOT Incite Violence – Jeff McMullen
http://caama.com.au/breaking-news-aboriginal-leaders-did-not-incite-viol...
31 Jan 12: "Seasoned Journalist Jeff McMullen…who was there when the events took place…has slammed these accusations..saying they are totally untrue and there was never a call for violence or to intimidate either Tony Abbott or the Prime Minister. Mr McMullen Says… as an eye witness to the events on Australia day…that the Aboriginal leaders present did nothing to incite or encourage the violence. He says he was standing next to Rosalie Kunoth Monks during the time she was accused to have been inciting threatening acts."
Treaty Republic: It is right to be angry; it is right to protest - land rights now!
http://treatyrepublic.net/content/it-right-be-angry-it-right-protest-lan...
26 Jan 12: "Earlier that morning 2000 of us had gathered at the Australian National University for a welcome, some talks, rap and dancing before marching up to Parliament House and then on to the Tent Embassy at Old Parliament House. It was a fantastic march. ... We reached the Tent Embassy, exhilarated. Witnesses reported that during one of the speeches a woman interrupted to say that Tony Abbott had said the Tent Embassy should be moved on. He was fifty metres away with his twin in racism, Julia Gillard." John Passant
Fieldnotes & Footnotes: For the record: my personal first hand account of events that led to Gillard and Abbott’s dramatic "escape" and subsequent clash between police and demonstrators from the Aboriginal Tent Embassy
http://fieldnotesandfootnotes.wordpress.com/2012/01/28/for-the-record-my...
28 Jan 12: "For the record, this is my personal account of events that led to the Honourable Prime Minister Julia Gillard being dragged along by her body-guard and bundled into her waiting car. I am not claiming to speak on behalf of anyone else who was there. This is my individual, personal account of these events. ... At this stage - after Gillard and Abbott had departed - the police and Protective Services started (re)acting hyper-aggressively." Bree Blakeman
National Indigenous Times: Michael Anderson, original co-founder of the Tent Embassy, chats about: The protest that upset the nation
http://www.nit.com.au/chat/487-michael-anderson-original-co-founder-of-t...
1 Feb 12: "SH: How did you see things unfold with the protest at the Lobby Restaurant against Julie Gillard and Tony Abbott?
MA: We were told that Tony Abbott said it was time for the tent embassy to move on - and being the highly volatile mob we are - we took his comments as a challenge. To us he was saying the embassy had to go - but he wasn't very clear on that. So when politicians tell us that our tent embassy has... "
ABC AM: NT Aboriginal figure admits role in tent embassy protest
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2012/s3416580.htm
27 Jan 12: "BARBARA SHAW: I was informed of the Leader of the Opposition's presence. So I basically informed the crowd of his whereabouts and they went. You know so I'm not responsible for people's actions at the end of the day. It's up to the people and what they want to do. ... It comes down to what Aboriginal people are feeling in their own state and territories. And by Tony Abbott's comments I think it hit the nail on the head and that stirred the pot. ... I don't regret it at all because nothing came about it. You know we just wanted to make a little bit of noise, you know. People wanted to make a little bit of noise and that's what they did."
- Videos
TrackerVision: Fresh footage shows police overreaction
http://tracker.org.au/2012/02/fresh-footage-shows-police-overreaction/
1 Feb 12: "New footage showing a police overreaction at the Survival Day protests in Canberra has been released."
newsTracker: NSWALC calls on Gooda to investigate police
http://tracker.org.au/2012/01/nswalc-calls-on-gooda-to-probe-police-acti...
31 Jan 12: "The New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council has called on the Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda to probe the actions of police following the Survival Day protests this month. ... But while much of the media has labeled the protestors violent and riotous, and both sides of politics have condemned their actions, the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council says it is far from the truth. ... To see the fresh footage, please see below: "
SMH: Call to investigate police after tent embassy protest
http://www.smh.com.au/national/call-to-investigate-police-after-tent-emb...
31 Jan 12: "Indigenous groups are calling for an independent investigation into the "violent" conduct of police officers during last week's tent embassy protest. The NSW Aboriginal Land Council asked the Human Rights Commission to investigate as new video footage emerged today depicting federal police officers yelling, swearing and using physical force after Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott were rushed from The Lobby restaurant in Canberra last week."
Treaty Republic: Sovereignty Announced - No volence on Invasion Day
Media Conference - Aboriginal Tent Embassy - 27th January, 2012
Extended Footage (YouTube Sky News)
http://treatyrepublic.net/content/sovereignty-announced-no-volence-invas...
- Photos and Videos
Treaty Republic: Media Gallery - 40th Aboriginal Tent Embassy - 2012
http://treatyrepublic.net/content/media-gallery-40th-aboriginal-tent-emb...
- Audio
Indigenous radio station 98.9FM Brisbane:
http://www.989fm.com.au/category/podcasts/
26 Jan 12: "Invasion Day Live from Canberra"
27 Jan 12: "Live From the Tent Embassy 27th Jan"
* THE TENT EMBASSY PROTEST ON INVASION DAY / SOVEREIGNTY DAY:
- Media Releases
Stop the Intervention Collective Sydney:
Tent Embassy protests were right - racist laws are the real scandal
http://stoptheintervention.org/facts/press-releases/tent-embassy-protest...
1 Feb 12: "The Stop the Intervention Collective Sydney (STICS) has declared support for the Aboriginal rights protests in Canberra on January 26 targeting Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard. STICS says that the Northern Territory intervention has turned the clock back more than 40 years in Aboriginal affairs, erasing many of the gains made through the struggles of the original Tent Embassy.
Several STICS members were present in Canberra celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Tent Embassy, and joined the protests when they heard Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard were present at the near-by cafe. ...
"STICS is building a rally at parliament house in Canberra on Tuesday February 28, when parliamentary debate on continuing the Intervention will reopen.""
National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
& Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service:
Aboriginal Health Services response to Australia Day events
http://www.naccho.org.au/communications/media.html
31 Jan 12: "The actions of a small minority of Aboriginal people and the media portrayal of the events around the Australia Day protest have concerned the spokespersons for the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation and the Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service for failing to appreciate the significance of the day to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Aboriginal communities around the country have been troubled by the imagery and the perceptions that have been drawn from the protest actions, according to the Chair of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) and the CEO of the Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service."
- Analysis / Opinion
SMH: Why Abbott's tent embassy comments were wrong
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/why-abbotts-tent-embassy-comments...
2 Feb 12: "With his comments about the Aboriginal tent embassy last week, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott lobbed a grenade into the tangle of Aboriginal affairs. What Abbott said was this, referring to the embassy's establishment in 1972: "I think a lot has changed for the better since then." He added: "I think it probably is time to move on from that." Russell Marks
New Matilda: The Real Threat To National Security
http://newmatilda.com/2012/02/02/real-threat-national-security
2 Feb 12: "More often than not, Indigenous disadvantage puts Australia on the international news media radar. Local commentators on the Tent Embassy protest have chosen to look away, writes Hamish Ford"
Green Left: Pat Eatock: The '72 Tent Embassy was about land rights and sovereignty
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/49906
2 Feb 12: "Pat Eatock, a veteran of the 1972 Aboriginal Tent Embassy, was recently splashed all over the news holding the Prime Minister's shoe. ... The gathering took place next to the Old Parliament House in Canberra on January 26. Eatock, now a member of the Socialist Alliance, spoke to Green Left Weekly's Peter Boyle about her recollections of her experiences at the 1972 start of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy."
National Indigenous Times: Gooda must 'walk the plank'
http://www.nit.com.au/opinion/485-gooda-must-walk-the-plank.html
1 Feb 12: ""Aggressive behaviour was not acceptable 40 years ago to the original early campaigners at the Tent Embassy and it is not acceptable today. This sort of behaviour should be condemned in no uncertain terms" - Mick Gooda. "If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the... " Stephen Hagan
National Indigenous Times: A put-up job that boomeranged?
http://www.nit.com.au/opinion/481-a-put-up-job-that-boomeranged.html
"Not for the time it takes to blink were Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott so much as threatened, even less endangered, on the 26th of January by demonstrators from the 40th anniversary Aboriginal Embassy camp in Canberra. The only violence came from a young copper who punched and choke-gripped a young painted up Aboriginal man, a young Aboriginal woman, an SBS cameraman and I believe one other... " Diet Simon
Sunshine Coast Daily: Tent row a lesson for media too
http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2012/02/01/tent-row-lesson-me...
1 Feb 12: "The tent embassy on the lawns of old parliament house is 40 years old. It has sat there as an ugly reminder of the ugly reality of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' disadvantage for all that time. Rather than having served its purpose, as both mainstream media commentators and some black leaders have suggested, it should stay there until that disadvantage is properly addressed. The problem and the tent embassy's greatest strength is that it confronts a national capital cloistered in its comfortable world ... "
Treaty Republic: The usual suspects frothing at the mouth at protest
http://treatyrepublic.net/content/usual-suspects-frothing-mouth-protest
1 Feb 12: "It didn't take long for the usual suspects to start frothing at the mouth at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy protesting at Abbott's remarks Aboriginal's should move on from the politics that led to the establishment of the Tent Embassy in 1972 that inadvertently caught up the Prime Minister and her bumbling security detail. Led by the hypocrites in the corporate owned media who love dishing it out to anyone who strays from the pre-determined Australia (Invasion) Day script, who refuse to let one new flower bloom in their round up censored gardens." Dr Jo Toscano
Green Left: Comic Cinderella, tragic embassy: On Gillard’s shoe, the Tent Embassy and patriotism
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/49901
1 Feb 12: "Political establishment and mass media ill will towards the Aboriginal Tent Embassy should not confuse us. The real and valid question is still the past, present and future of Aboriginal Australians. ... I believe what happened next or who was behind the news leak or precisely who tipped off protesters on Abbott’s whereabouts is a callous effort that merely tries to divert public attention from the real question: the fate of Aboriginal people." Mansour Razaghi
New Matilda: The National Riot Mismanagement Squad
http://newmatilda.com/2012/01/31/national-riot-mismanagement-squad
31 Jan 12: "It hasn’t taken long for the myth of the "violent" tent embassy protest to take hold. It was a relatively minor protest that took place on Australia Day outside Canberra restaurant, The Lobby, near Parliament House. Even so, the dramatic television pictures and the syntax of nearly every journalist subsequently covering the incident, have worked to establish a false consensus that the events outside The Lobby, were "violent" and a "riot"." Ben Eltham
Brisbane Times: Too tolerant of ugly racism
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/too-tolerant...
31 Jan 12: "It would be simplistic however, to condemn outright the behaviour of protesters associated with the tent embassy last week without considering the sense of oppression that some of our people still feel towards our governments on a whole range of matters. I will always condemn bad manners and unnecessarily aggressive behaviour by whomever. But I will always defend people's rights to assert their political position and try to look to the heart of why people feel so oppressed that they feel violent confrontation is the only recourse to the resolution of their position." Patrick Dodson
ABC Drum Opinion: Tent Embassy protest speaks for itself
http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3802766.html
31 Jan 12: "The protest has seen a remarkable level of media criticism of Indigenous Australians. Some may think that the protest was therefore a failure. I think that view is incorrect. For a long time, Australia's media has refused to provide a platform to Indigenous Australians, except those who, in the words of Chris Graham, tell "white Australia what they want to hear: ... " This protest has shown white Australia that many Indigenous Australians are angry. It would be nice if we took the time to find out why." Michael Brull
NT News Editorial: Protest group went too far
http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2012/01/31/286151_opinion.html
31 Jan 12: "AUSTRALIA is a liberal democracy and, as such, accepts the right to protest. But there must be limits to this right. Demonstrators overstepped the mark legally when they tried to intimidate Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott by storming a restaurant in Canberra on Australia Day. And they overstepped the mark ethically the following day by burning the Australian flag."
Solidarity: Behind the media beat-up: Tent Embassy protesters have nothing to apologise for
http://www.solidarity.net.au/web/behind-the-media-beat-up-why-tent-embas...
30 Jan 12: "Protests celebrating the anniversary of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy have been subject to a vicious and distorting media campaign, after a snap protest directed at Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard. But this protest, and the demands of the Tent Embassy for Aboriginal rights and self-determination, remain absolutely right and should be defended. ... The kind of movement that created the Tent Embassy is needed again today."
Green Left: Julia Gillard's words of respect to Aboriginal Australia
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/49865
30 Jan 12: "Moments before Julia Gillard was whisked away from the angry crowd, losing her shoe in the process, she began an awards ceremony speech with these words: "Can I start by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and in the spirit of reconciliation pay my respects to elders past and present." ... Yet, that same day, she did not take the trouble to walk one hundred metres from her ceremony to say hello to the largest ever gathering of traditional owners in Canberra, since she had become Prime Minister. They had come from every part of Australia, ... " Tim Anderson
Age: A thorn in our pride
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/a-thorn-in-our-pride-20120129-...
30 Jan 12: "FORTY years ago, the establishment of the Aboriginal tent embassy was a stroke of political genius. A striped beach umbrella planted on the manicured lawns outside Parliament House in Canberra came to symbolise Aboriginal Australians' sense of alienation in their own country. How sad that 40 years later, on Australia Day last Thursday, the actions of people associated with the embassy eclipsed the nation's formal recognition of Laurie Baymarrwangga as Senior Australian of the Year." Jane Lydon
SMH: Ruckus puts referendum out of reach
http://m.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/ruckus-puts-referendum-out-of-reach...
30 Jan 12: "At least the Aboriginal tent embassy in Canberra has finally achieved one constructive thing in its 40 years as a moral eyesore: it helped kill off the proposed amendment to enshrine racial preference in the Australian constitution. That proposed amendment is now dead." Paul Sheehan
The Observer: The camera does sometimes lie. Ask a female politician
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/29/barbara-ellen-julia-...
29 Jan 12: "If you watch the clip of Australian prime minister Julia Gillard being bundled away from Aboriginal rights protesters in Canberra at a ceremony for Australia Day, you could be forgiven for assuming that a bomb had gone off or that the building was collapsing. In truth, a couple of hundred protesters, who favour the term "Invasion Day" heard that the opposition leader, Tony Abbott, was present and they were angry at a remark he'd made earlier, ... " Barbara Ellen
SMH: The can of worms that marred Australia Day
http://www.smh.com.au/national/the-can-of-worms-that-marred-australia-da...
29 Jan 12: "What ignited the PM's security scare last week? Stephanie Peatling explores who said what to whom."
Green Left: Aboriginal Tent Embassy: more relevant than ever
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/49836
28 Jan 12: "Opposition leader Tony Abbott and his co-thinkers are dead wrong. The Aboriginal Tent Embassy, established by activists 40 years ago, is as relevant as it was then. Early on January 26, Abbott told reporters he understood why the embassy was set up “all those years ago”, but said it was not relevant today." Peter Boyle
SMH: Why we need to find a new date for Australia Day
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/why-we-need-to-find-a-new-date-fo...
28 Jan 12: "WHAT happened in Canberra on Thursday was doubly unfortunate. The image, on Australia Day, of an Australian prime minister being bundled towards her car looking harassed in response to a perceived threat posed by a group of Aboriginal protesters has history stamped all over it." Martin Flanagan
Canberra Times: The spear of confrontation pays nation another visit
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/national/national/general/the-spear...
28 Jan 12: "IN 1790, Bennelong, the Sydney-born Aboriginal friend to the colonisers, was present when Governor Arthur Phillip was speared at Manly Cove, demonstrating how much relations between the two peoples had soured. It has been a while since Australia has been confronted with its own angry Aboriginal face, but this week it was back." Debra Jopson
ABC: Tent Embassy organisers deny protest was violent
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-27/tent-embassy-organisers-deny-prote...
27 Jan 12: "Organisers of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy movement say there was no violence directed towards the Prime Minister or Opposition Leader, and have indicated they will continue their struggle for recognition of indigenous sovereignty."
WSWS: Australian protesters denounced as "ugly mob"
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/jan2012/abor-j27.shtml
27 Jan 12: "A demonstration yesterday in Canberra, the Australian capital, inflamed by the provocative actions of the police in "rescuing" Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, has been used by the media and political establishment to suggest that political protest is illegitimate and potentially dangerous. ... Front pages featuring pictures of Gillard being hustled away amid a phalanx of riot police and bodyguards reinforced the message that the prime minister was in physical danger. What actually happened was quite different."
Socialist Alternative: Media paints black as white and might as right at Tent Embassy
http://www.sa.org.au/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=7201:media-pai...
27 Jan 12: "The media has gone into overdrive to smear Aboriginal protesters who dared to put a crack in the shiny veneer of "Australia Day" pomp. This, after all, is supposed to be a day to celebrate our imagined unity, a day to forget about the past, to put aside the present, and don't think too much about the future. ... Immense pressure is now being put on Tent Embassy protesters to back down, to "confess" and "repent" for the crime of justified anger and interrupting polite society." Josh Lees
Canberra Times Editorial: Security questions raised
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/opinion/editorial/general/security-...
27 Jan 12: "Neither Julia Gillard nor Tony Abbott were in any direct danger from Aboriginal protesters yesterday, but those concerned for their security must be appalled that they were allowed to be put in the situation they were in. It had long been known that the 40th anniversary of the Aboriginal embassy would bring a major contingent of people to Canberra, and entirely predictable that some of them would notice comings and goings at The Lobby restaurant and that the presence of the Prime Minister or the Leader of the Opposition (or in this case both - a real bonus) ... " Jack Waterford
Socialist Alternative: Gillard, Abbott, get the treatment they deserve
http://www.sa.org.au/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=7200:gillard-a...
26 Jan 12: "The Bobbsey twins of racism, Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott, got a little back yesterday of what the thugs who protect them and their ilk dish out to Aboriginal people every day. Lunching at the appropriately named Porkbarrel Café for an awards ceremony, Gillard and Abbott became the target of a large crowd of demonstrators from the nearby Tent Embassy 40 year commemoration." John Passant
- News
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association:
CAAMA Radio News 2.2.12
http://caama.com.au/caama-radio-news-2-2-12
2 Feb 12: "An Aboriginal rights campaigner has reiterated the message that the protest on Australia Day was angry…but not violent."
National Indigenous Times: Gooda should resign
http://www.nit.com.au/your-say.html
http://www.nit.com.au/news/515-gooda-should-resign.html
1 Feb 12: "One of the founders of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, Michael Anderson has condemned the attack on protesters by Mick Gooda, Warren Mundine, Sue Gordon and Bess Price and has called on Mr Gooda to resign from his government appointed position as Social Justice Commissioner. ... Mr Anderson, in an exclusive interview with Editor of the National Indigenous Times, Stephen Hagan on Page 17 in this edition, was especially critical of Mr Gooda's actions because of the government position he holds."
National Indigenous Times: Source claims PM knew about leak
http://www.nit.com.au/news/513-source-claims-pm-knew-about-leak.html
"A source within the Federal Government has claimed a number of people within the Prime Minister's department knew beforehand that a staff member intended to leak information that the Opposition leader, Tony Abbott was at the Lobby restaurant. The source, who is regarded as reliable and holds a senior position within Government bureaucracy, said the Prime Minister's press secretary, Tony Hodges informed another... "
National Indigenous Times: I never said Embassy should be closed: Abbott
http://www.nit.com.au/news/512-i-never-said-embassy-should-be-closed-abb...
"Federal Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott has claimed he never said the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra should be removed. "I never said that and I don't think that," he told reporters in Melbourne last Friday. Comments made on Thursday by Mr Abbott sparked a protest by protestors who besieged him and Prime Minister, Julia Gillard in a restaurant near the Tent Embassy, which was set up outside... "
National Indigenous Times: Prime Minister’s man quits over leak to Tent Embassy
http://www.nit.com.au/news/511-prime-ministers-man-quits-over-leak-to-te...
"Tent Embassy founder, Michael Anderson has demanded answers following the revelations the Prime Minister's press secretary had leaked false claims Federal Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott wanted to close down the Tent Embassy and that he was attending a function only a short distance from last week's Tent Embassy celebrations. Mr Anderson said the revelations proved there were forces at play intent upon... "
National Indigenous Times: We want sovereignty
http://www.nit.com.au/news/510-we-want-sovereignty.html
"Australia will never win a seat on the United Nations Security Council unless the Federal Government acknowledges Indigenous sovereignty, an original member of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, Michael Anderson said. Mr Anderson said the mission of the Tent Embassy, established 40 years ago, was a declaration of Indigenous people's sovereignty over Australia. He was speaking after 200 protesters trapped... "
National Indigenous Times: New leaders emerge to fill the void left by mainstream leaders
http://www.nit.com.au/news/509-new-leaders-emerge-to-fill-the-void-left-...
"By John Rowsthorne National Indigenous Times Director. Here's the thing – what continues to emerge in the politics of Aboriginal Australia in 2012 and what was further highlighted at the Tent Embassy celebrations of last week is akin to a parallel universe of struggles taking shape. It became apparent during last week's celebrations those identified as "mainstream Indigenous leaders" are... "
National Indigenous Times: Dodson defends right to protest
http://www.nit.com.au/news/508-dodson-defends-right-to-protest.html
"The Co-Chair of the Expert Panel on constitutional change, Professor Patrick Dodson has defended the Aboriginal Tent Embassy and said the protest last week reflected the "oppression and anger" many Indigenous Australians felt about the lack of action by government in addressing the social issues affecting the First Peoples. Professor Dodson made the comments on Monday night while delivering the... "
National Indigenous Times: Gooda, Mundine, Price and Gordon condemn protest
http://www.nit.com.au/news/507-gooda-mundine-price-and-gordon-condemn-pr...
"Four Indigenous leaders have publicly condemned the Aboriginal Tent Embassy protest that resulted in Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition leaders, Tony Abbott being rushed away from an awards function by riot police last week. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Mick Gooda condemned the protest and accused the protestors of being activists and... "
National Indigenous Times: Matilda House warns protest will re-ignite racism
http://www.nit.com.au/news/506-matilda-house-warns-protest-will-re-ignit...
"Matilda House has criticised the Tent Embassy protestors against the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott last Thursday claiming the actions may well re-ignite racism in communities throughout Australia. Ms House also damned the burning of the Australian flag outside Parliament House the following day. The Elder of the Ngambri people from the Canberra region, has been closely... "
National Indigenous Times: Protest will make referendum harder to succeed, says Leibler
http://www.nit.com.au/news/505-protest-will-make-referendum-harder-to-su...
"Co-Chair of the Expert Panel on constitutional change, Mark Leibler has warned last week's Tent Embassy protests would "make it that much harder" to achieve a yes vote in a referendum. Mr Leibler said the campaign for constitutional change was now "that much harder" because the impressions portrayed of the protest may threaten the momentum to achieve changes to the Constitution. The 22-member panel... "
National Indigenous Times: Malezer speaks up on sovereignty and need for a political movement
"Co-Chair of the National Congress, Les Malezer has declared 2012 may well be a "year of historical change" because the call to review the Australian constitution has seen emerge a renewed activism to achieve meaningful improvements for Indigenous Australians. Mr Malezer, who attended the Tent Embassy 40th anniversary celebrations, said it was apparent there were many Indigenous Australians who were now determined... "
Northern Star: Media 'missed main event'
http://www.northernstar.com.au/story/2012/02/01/media-missed-main-event-...
1 Feb 12: "ACTIVISTS from the Northern Rivers have criticised media coverage of a protest on Australia Day that led to Prime Minister Julia Gillard being jostled and losing her shoe. Around 100 people from the Northern Rivers travelled to Canberra last week to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy. ... Mr Corowa said he was disappointed media attention had focused on Ms Gillard's lost shoe, instead of the three-day Corroboree for Sovereignty."
9 News: Aboriginal activists demand Abbott apology
http://www.news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8409187/time-for-tent-embassy-to...
1 Feb 12: "Activists accused Mr Abbott of "inciting racial riots" with his comments. Embassy founder Michael Anderson said the opposition leader's comments were disrespectful. "Abbott said the aboriginal embassy had to go. We heard it on a radio broadcast," he told AAP. "We thought no way, so we circled around the building.""
Canberra Times: AFP to review officers' conduct
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/afp-to-review-of...
1 Feb 12: "The Australian Federal Police are reviewing the use of force during last week's tent embassy protest as Aboriginal groups call for an independent investigation into officers' ''violent'' conduct. ... The Australian Federal Police said standard procedure dictated the force would review officers' conduct during the incident, including by its internal affairs unit."
Moree Champion: Practise what we preach: father of reconciliation attacks two-faced Australia
http://www.moreechampion.com.au/news/national/national/general/practise-...
31 Jan 12: "Mr [Patrick] Dodson defended the Aboriginal tent embassy in Canberra, which was the source of the protests on Thursday that led to a security scare involving Ms Gillard and the Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott. ''It would be simplistic … to condemn outright the behaviour of protesters associated with the tent embassy last week, without considering the sense of oppression that some of our people still feel toward our governments on a whole range of matters,'' he said."
Australia Network News: Australian Indigenous leader says 'Tent Embassy' still relevant
http://australianetworknews.com/stories/201201/3419181.htm?desktop
31 Jan 12: "Indigenous leader Pat Dodson has urged Australians to look at the cause of the Australia Day Tent Embassy protests. The tent embassy - on the lawns of Old Parliament House in Canberra - is a semi-permanent site of tents and signs, that activists claim represents the rights of indigenous Australians. In response to comments by the Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, which sparked the protests on Australia Day, Professor Dodson says the Tent Embassy is still relevant."
ABC: Australians urged to to think about cause of protesters
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-31/australians-urged-to-to-think-abou...
Updated 31 Jan 12: "Indigenous leader Pat Dodson has urged Australians to look beyond the actions of the Tent Embassy demonstrators and to consider what has so upset them."
newsTracker: Anderson backs calls for inquiry into police
http://tracker.org.au/2012/01/anderson-backs-calls-for-inquiry-into-police/
31 Jan 12: "The only surviving member of the four original Aboriginal Tent Embassy founders has backed the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council’s calls for an independent inquiry into the conduct of police during the Survival Day protest in Canberra. Michael Anderson says that the call by NSWALC for an investigation conducted by Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda made sense. "I’m in full support of Geoff Scott’s statement. The organisers of the Tent Embassy support his call wholeheartedly. We think it is a very appropriate action," Mr Anderson said."
National Indigenous Radio Service: Embassy co-founder slams Abbott for "provocative" comments
http://www.nirs.org.au/news/latest-news/6893-embassy-co-founder-slams-ab...
31 Jan 12: "An organiser of last Thursday's protests in Canberra says Prime Minister Julia Gillard was not of concern to the protesters and was never in danger of being physically harmed. Michael Anderson, the last surviving co-founder of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, says the protesters only wanted Tony Abbott to clarify his comment with regards to the Embassy. Mr. Anderson says Mr. Abbott's comment to 'move on' with the Tent Embassy was highly provocative."
National Indigenous Radio Service: Indigenous rights advocate challenges public to find violence not instigated by police
http://www.nirs.org.au/news/latest-news/6892-indigenous-rights-advocate-...
31 Jan 12: "A leading Indigenous rights advocate and social commentator is critical of the way the mainstream media has portrayed the Tent Embassy protest, saying people in Aboriginal communities are not having their voices heard. Tracker Magazine editor and Walkley award-winning journalist Chris Graham has criticised so-called Aboriginal 'leaders', saying the Government use people like former ALP national president Warren Mundine and Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda for their own political agenda."
9 News: NSW land council calls for protest inquiry
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8411678/nsw-land-council-calls-for-p...
31 Jan 12: "The nation's largest Aboriginal organisation has called for an independent investigation into the actions of police against protesters at an Australia Day function that left the prime minister and opposition leader running for safety. NSW Aboriginal Land Council chief executive Geoff Scott wants Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda to conduct the inquiry. He made the call following the release of footage of the incident outside the Lobby restaurant in Canberra ... "
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association:
CAAMA Radio News 31-1-12
http://caama.com.au/caama-radio-news-31-1-12
31 Jan 12: "The Northern Territory political candidate who implied that Central Australian Aboriginal leaders had incited Australia day protestors to violence …has been contradicted…both by the Aboriginal leaders themselves and an esteemed journalist with over 45 years experience."
Herald Sun: NT MP demands PM apologise over protest
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/nt-mp-demands-pm-apologis...
31 Jan 12: "A LABOR Party MP in the Northern Territory is calling on Prime Minister Julia Gillard to apologise for "underhanded tactics" that fuelled the Australia Day protest in Canberra. NT Indigenous Affairs Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said the scenes on Australia Day at the protest were disgraceful. The prime minister should apologise to the nation, Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and the organisers of the Aboriginal tent embassy, Ms McCarthy told ABC Radio. "Certainly, the (action of the) office of the prime minister was very questionable," she said."
Koori Mail: Anderson backs Gooda investigation
[scroll down page] http://www.koorimail.com/index.php
31 Jan 12: "ABORIGINAL Tent Embassy founder Michael Anderson says he agrees with NSWALC calls for Mick Gooda, rather than police, to investigate the actions of police during the Aboriginal Tent Embassy protests in Canberra. Mr Anderson said officers incited the crowd after the Prime Minister's vehicle left the scene by linking arms, unholstering their weapons and confronting protestors. He said at least two other officers swore at and urged protesters to come at them, and were unfit for police service."
Koori Mail: Police actions during protest 'a fiasco'
[scroll down page] http://www.koorimail.com/index.php
31 Jan 12: "THE NSW Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC) wants Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda to independently scrutinise the role of police during Aboriginal protests in Canberra last Thursday. NSWALC Geoff Scott said footage of Prime Minister Julia Gillard's exit from the Lobby restaurant showed AFP officers dealing inappropriately with protestors, including inciting and committing violence - amounting to a 'fiasco' and 'public relations and security disaster'."
Koori Mail: Don't be too quick to judge, says Dodson
[scroll down page] http://www.koorimail.com/index.php
31 Jan 12: "THE man known as 'the Father of Reconciliation' has urged Australians to consider why those involved in Australia Day protests in Canberra last week acted the way they did. Delivering the inaugural Mahatma Gandhi address in Sydney last night, former Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation chairman Pat Dodson condemned 'bad manners and unnecessarily aggressive behaviour by whomever' but said it would be simplistic to condemn the protesters' behaviour outright. He said many Indigenous people still felt oppressed and there was a lot of anxiety around Australia Day."
newsTracker: Libs excusing Survival Day protesters: Roxon
http://tracker.org.au/2012/01/libs-excusing-survival-day-protesters-roxon/
31 Jan 12: "Federal Attorney-General Nicola Roxon has accused the coalition of excusing the protesters who surrounded a Canberra restaurant on Survival Day. Coalition legal affairs spokesman George Brandis has written to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) asking it to investigate what led up to a protest by Aboriginal Tent Embassy supporters which resulted in Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott being rushed from a Canberra restaurant."
newsTracker: Oppn calls on AFP to probe protests
http://tracker.org.au/2012/01/oppn-calls-on-afp-to-probe-protests/
31 Jan 12: "The Australian Federal Police(AFP) have referred the opposition’s request for an investigation into the protests on Survival Day to a special evaluation group. Coalition legal affairs spokesman George Brandis on Monday wrote to the AFP asking it to investigate the chain of events leading up to a protest by Aboriginal Tent Embassy supporters that resulted in Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott being rushed from a Canberra restaurant."
newsTracker: Ken Wyatt "disappointed" by protest
http://tracker.org.au/2012/01/ken-wyatt-disappointed-by-protest/
31 Jan 12: "Aboriginal MP Ken Wyatt says the Australia Day protest in Canberra that forced the prime minister and opposition leader to flee a restaurant was disappointing. Mr Wyatt, the first Aboriginal Australian to become a member of the House of Representatives, says the protest did not focus on areas of importance for Indigenous people."
Australian: Cover-up claims on tie to tent activists
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/indigenous/cover-up-cla...
31 Jan 12: "JULIA Gillard faces opposition claims of a government cover-up over last week's Aboriginal tent embassy protest despite the Australian Federal Police ruling out an official investigation."
ABC: Roxon slams interference in protest policing
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-30/opposition-accused-of-playing-prot...
31 Jan 12: "Attorney-General Nicola Roxon has accused the Federal Opposition of turning the Australia Day protests into a political football."
ABC Lateline: Dodson calls for look into causes of protest
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2012/s3419415.htm?site=indigenous...
30 Jan 12: "Indigenous leader Pat Dodson has urged Australians to look at the causes of the Australia Day protest in Canberra, and says it is simplistic to merely condemn the behaviour."
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association:
Respected Journalist Says Australia Day Protest Was Over-Dramatised
30 Jan 12: "A respected journalist with over 45 years experience observing demonstrations has spoken out against media coverage of the protest on Australia day…and says there was a vast over-dramatisation of what actually happened. Jeff McMullen was among those who went to Canberra for the 40th Anniversary of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy…and says he was amazed at hearing the media coverage of what they say happened…compared to what actually did happen."
Reportage Online: Tent Embassy activists want to talk sovereignty
http://www.reportageonline.com/2012/01/tent-embassy-activists-want-to-ta...
30 Jan 12: "Protesters at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy have defended its existence while their message has been largely ignored by mainstream press. Jerico Mandybur reports. As Aboriginal protestors gathered to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy last Thursday, the majority of media coverage focused on a perceived threat of violence towards Prime Minister Julia Gillard, rather than on the group’s calls for representation and the recognition of sovereignty."
Herald Sun: Aboriginal Tent Embassy protesters say: 'We did nothing wrong'
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/aboriginal-tent-embassy-p...
Last Updated: 30 Jan 12: "PROTESTERS at the Aboriginal tent embassy in Canberra have fronted an emotional press conference to defend their actions during yesterday's protest. Embassy founder Michael Anderson, Selina Davey-Newry of the northeast Kimberly, Wiradjuri Nation spokesperson Paul Coe and former political candidate Barbara Shaw stood in front of a smoking fire with about 3000 fellow protesters around a sovereignty sign at the embassy. The protesters have insisted that they did nothing wrong yesterday and there was no violence."
newsTracker: Sattler denies Gillard’s Survival Day account
http://tracker.org.au/2012/01/sattler-denies-gillards-survival-day-account/
30 Jan 12: "ACT union official Kim Sattler denies her account of events on Australia Day contradicts Prime Minister Julia Gillard. News Limited reported on Sunday that Ms Sattler said her conversation with the prime minister’s office had made her believe Opposition Leader Tony Abbott wanted to close the Aboriginal Tent Embassy. Ms Gillard on Saturday said her former media adviser Tony Hodges did not suggest to Ms Sattler that Mr Abbott had said the embassy should be shutdown."
Age: Opposition to call for police probe into Gillard adviser leak
http://www.theage.com.au/national/opposition-to-call-for-police-probe-in...
30 Jan 12: "THE opposition will ask the Australian Federal Police today to investigate the role of Julia Gillard's office and a Canberra union leader in the Australia Day security breach that led to the Prime Minister being spectacularly dragged to safety."
ABC Radio National: Aust opposition bays for political blood after protests
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/asiapac/stories/201201/s3419062.htm
Updated 30 Jan 12: "The Australian Federal Police says it won't be investigating the events surrounding last week's Australia Day protests in Canberra despite calls for a probe by the Australian Federal Opposition."
Bloomberg: Gillard ‘Angry’ as Abbott Presses to Probe Protest
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-29/gillard-angry-as-australian-opp...
30 Jan 12: "Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard expressed anger at opposition demands for an inquiry over her government’s role in clashes between police and aboriginal protesters in Canberra on Australia Day. A media aide to Gillard resigned Jan. 27 for disclosing opposition leader Tony Abbott’s location at a restaurant in the national capital, information that was passed on to protest organizers."
news.com.au: Fallout piles pressure on flagging Julia Gillard
http://www.news.com.au/national/protesters-may-find-shoe-on-other-foot/s...
30 Jan 12: "THERE are growing calls for Australia Day rioters to be charged by police. And one Aboriginal leader said they must be taught a lesson. Australian Federal Police are still assessing the ugly Canberra incident and are analysing television and news footage to help gather evidence for possible arrests."
newsTracker: Tent Embassy representatives identify Sattler
http://tracker.org.au/2012/01/3950/
30 Jan 12: "Representatives of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy have identified unionist Kim Sattler as the person who told Aboriginal people that Opposition Leader Tony Abbott was in a Canberra restaurant on Survival Day."
newsTracker: Online petition for tent embassy closure
http://tracker.org.au/2012/01/online-petition-for-tent-embassy-closure/
30 Jan 12: "A conservative online blog site has launched an internet campaign to close down the 40-year-old Aboriginal tent embassy in Canberra. Menzies House is urging Australians to sign the petition calling on the federal government to shut down the site near Old Parliament House."
ABC: War of words over protest fiasco
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-29/union-official-defends-role-in-pro...
30 Jan 12: "The fallout from the Aboriginal Tent Embassy Australia Day protests is continuing, with the Opposition and the Government squabbling over what happened in the lead-up to the demonstrations."
ABC: Abbott steps up heat over protest leaks
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-30/abbott-steps-up-heat-over-protest-...
30 Jan 12: "The Federal Opposition is keen to keep up the political pressure on the Prime Minister Julia Gillard over the tent embassy protest."
ABC: No AFP investigation into Australia Day protest
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-30/afp-will-not-probe-australia-day-p...
30 Jan 12: "The AFP says there is no evidence of criminality in circumstances leading to a protest in Canberra that caused a security scare for Prime Minister Julia Gillard."
ABC 7.30: Government responds to Australia Day inquiry request
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2012/s3418998.htm?site=indigenous&top...
30 Jan 12: "The Attorney General, Nicola Roxon, reacts to calls from the Opposition for an AFP inquiry into the events on Australia Day that led to Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott being confronted by protesters."
ABC 7.30: Federal Opposition calls for Australia Day inquiry
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2012/s3418996.htm?site=indigenous&top...
30 Jan 12: "After a protest on Australia Day that embroiled the Prime Minister and Federal Opposition leader, the Opposition has called for an inquiry by the Australian Federal Police in to the events of that day."
Koori Mail: Officer uses F-word during protests
[scroll down page] http://www.koorimail.com/index.php
29 Jan 12: "AN Australian Federal Police (AFP) officer has been captured on video swearing at media and protesters from Canberra’s Aboriginal Tent Embassy on Survival Day. The video, posted on YouTube by the Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (WGAR), shows the officer – whose badge number is clearly visible – using the F-word at least five times as he pushes back against the crowd."
Koori Mail: No criminal act by Kim Sattler, says AFP
[scroll down page] http://www.koorimail.com/index.php
29 Jan 12: "THE Australian Federal Police (AFP) say they’ve evaluated the involvement of ACT Unions head Kim Sattler in relation to Thursday’s Aboriginal Tent Embassy protests and have found no evidence of criminality on her part. The AFP told the Koori Mail at two o’clock this afternoon that, as a consequence, it would not conduct an investigation into the matter. A spokeswoman said the AFP was still looking into possible charges against anyone else involved in the protests."
Koori Mail: Embassy protests furore continues
[scroll down page] http://www.koorimail.com/index.php
29 Jan 12: "There’ve been conflicting reports of Ms Sattler’s account of her conversation with Mr Hodges. News Limited yesterday reported Ms Sattler as saying Mr Hodges told her Mr Abbott had said the Embassy 'shouldn't exist at all'. However, Ms Sattler told AAP today that the News Ltd report was inaccurate. She stood by a statement she issued yesterday, which said Mr Hodges had told her Mr Abbott had said that people should `move on' from the Tent Embassy."
Katherine Times: No one is angrier than me, says PM
http://www.katherinetimes.com.au/news/national/national/general/no-one-i...
29 Jan 12: "JULIA Gillard has branded ''unauthorised and unacceptable'' her adviser's decision to have a union leader organise indigenous reaction to Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's suggestion that Aboriginal tent embassy protesters should ''move on''."
Koori Mail: Embassy returns PM’s shoe
[scroll down page] http://www.koorimail.com/index.php
28 Jan 12: "ABORIGINAL Tent Embassy activists have returned the shoe that Prime Minister Julia Gillard lost as she was whisked out of a Canberra restaurant on Wednesday, to escape angry protesters targeting Opposition Leader Tony Abbott. Embassy representatives had earlier said they planned to sell the shoe on eBay to raise funds for the historic protest site but late yesterday a group of women from the Embassy walked up the hill to Parliament House and handed the shoe to attendants there, asking that it be passed on to the PM."
Age: The sole survivor returned to guard
http://www.theage.com.au/national/the-sole-survivor-returned-to-guard-20...
28 Jan 12: "INDIGENOUS elders have challenged Julia Gillard to walk a mile in their shoes, but last night they returned her own stray footwear to a security guard at Parliament House."
ABC: Union boss gave protesters Abbott's location
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-28/indigenous-activists-name-row-info...
Updated 28 Jan 12: "Prime Minister Julia Gillard has confirmed one of her staff members passed on information about Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's whereabouts to a union official who in turn reportedly alerted rowdy protesters on Australia Day."
SMH: Labor figure Kim Sattler named as go-between in protest
http://m.smh.com.au/national/labor-figure-kim-sattler-named-as-gobetween...
28 Jan 12: "Sources at the Aboriginal tent embassy say the mystery intermediary between Julia Gillard's office and the protesting mob on Australia Day was Kim Sattler. Ms Sattler is a well-connected Labor figure, who has worked with UnionsACT. Ms Sattler was not immediately available for comment to confirm or deny a role in the protest, ... "
SMH: PM accused of protest cover-up
http://www.smh.com.au/national/pm-accused-of-protest-coverup-20120127-1q...
28 Jan 12: "Aboriginal activist Barbara Shaw says an unknown woman tipped her off about Tony Abbott's supposed comments and location before Thursday's Canberra protest. ... JULIA GILLARD'S staff were last night fighting off allegations of a cover-up after the Prime Minister accepted the resignation of one of her media advisers who admitted to triggering the Australia Day fracas outside a Canberra restaurant."
newsTracker: New Parliament wants to return PM’s shoe
http://tracker.org.au/2012/01/new-parliament-wants-to-return-pms-shoe/
27 Jan 12: "The newly formed First Nations Parliament aims to start out on the right foot by returning the Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s shoe, which was lost during a protest at a Canberra restaurant yesterday. ... Paul Coe, spokesperson for the First Nations Parliament, an organisation which has been re-established as a result of the anniversary celebrations, said Embassy activists were disgusted at the behavior of police. ... Mr Coe said the First Nations Parliament would be established with a year."
newsTracker: We won’t apologise: Aboriginal leaders
http://tracker.org.au/2012/01/we-wont-apologise-aboriginal-leaders/
27 Jan 12: "Aboriginal activists who protested a restaurant where Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott were have accused the opposition leader of inciting racial riots and want him to apologise. ... Embassy founder Michael Anderson said the opposition leader’s comments were disrespectful. ... Isabell Coe, whose late husband Mr Craigie was an embassy founder, said Mr Abbott should apologise."
January 26th - Tent Embassy. Congress Statement and Media
http://nationalcongress.com.au/january-26th-tent-embassy/
27 Jan 12: "There were thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and people, our friends and supporters who enjoyed major events all around the country to mark Survival Day 2012 yesterday: events that were incident-free and unreported. Congress supports and is participating in the organised and peaceful Tent Embassy events and celebrations marking its 40th anniversary. The Tent Embassy is symbolic of the ongoing struggle for Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples."
Koori Mail: Embassy activists retain PM's shoe
http://www.koorimail.com/index.php?page=Current+Edition
27 Jan 12: "The last surviving founder of the Aboriginal Embassy, Michael Anderson, said Mr Abbott’s 'confrontationist' comments had incited the fracas and that police had then over-reacted in their response. "People need to look at those videos very closely; it was the police who were manhandling the Prime Minister out the door and the national security mob who caused her to fall," Mr Anderson told the Koori Mail. "There was more danger to her from that than anything we’d have done. I repeat, there was no risk whatsoever to the Prime Minister. She could have walked out of there. ... ""
ABC: Aboriginal leaders condemn actions of protesters
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-27/20120127-nt-focus-tent-embassy-pro...
27 Jan 12: "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda says the actions of protesters in Canberra could set the cause of reconciliation back by years. Prime Minister Julia Gillard nearly fell as security staff tried to get her and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott away from furious Aboriginal tent embassy protesters. They were angry at comments by Mr Abbott that it might be time to move on from tent embassy politics."
West Australian: 'Do not give in to aggression'
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/12734426/do-not-give-in-to...
27 Jan 12: "WA Aboriginal MP Ben Wyatt fears the "deplorable" conduct of protesters in Canberra yesterday will backfire by creating sympathy for Tony Abbott's "intolerant" comments. Mr Wyatt's views were echoed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda, who said aggression formed no part of tent embassy protests 40 years ago and was not acceptable today."
Australian: Mob doesn't speak for us, say indigenous leaders
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/indigenous/mob-doesnt-s...
27 Jan 12: "MAINSTREAM indigenous leaders have condemned activists from Canberra's Aboriginal tent embassy who led an angry mob to besiege Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott in a nearby restaurant yesterday. ... Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda condemned the protest and accused the activists of showing disrespect to Ms Gillard and Mr Abbott."
Australian: Amid turmoil, Julia Gillard brings Tony Abbott inside her security tent
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/indigenous/amid-turmoil...
27 Jan 12: "AS the hammering on the glass grew louder and the security detail grew increasingly anxious, Julia Gillard's thoughts turned to Tony Abbott. Trapped for the past half-hour inside Canberra's popular The Lobby restaurant by up to 100 bellowing protesters from the nearby Aboriginal tent embassy, the Prime Minister formed a huddle with her minders."
Australian: Reports the Prime Minister's office encouraged protesters to target Tony Abbott over tent embassy
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/reports-the-prime-minis...
27 Jan 12: "THE Prime Minister is yet to respond today to a report that one of her staffers rang an Aboriginal tent embassy protester yesterday to say Tony Abbott wanted the camp torn down."
Sky News: Protesters overreacted to Abbott-Mundine
http://www.skynews.com.au/topstories/article.aspx?id=711914&vId=
27 Jan 12: "Former ALP national president and indigenous leader Warren Mundine says protesters overreacted to comments Tony Abbott made about the tent embassy. The comments sparked a furious response from Aboriginal activists who besieged Mr Abbott and Prime Minister Julia Gillard at a Canberra restaurant on Thursday."
NT News: Blame game starts over Aust Day protest
http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2012/01/27/285621_ntnews.html
27 Jan 12: "THE Territory politician accused of sparking a violent protest that saw the Prime Minister dragged from a restaurant by the riot police has made no excuses her actions. Barbara Shaw refused to say whether a Labor staffer had leaked the whereabouts of Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott at a tent embassy protest in Canberra yesterday. "Whoever told me was a member of the general public," she said."
Canberra Times: Australia's day of shame
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/australias-day-o...
27 Jan 12: "Australia Day was marred and a gaping hole exposed in security planning for the Prime Minister yesterday after Julia Gillard was chaotically dragged away from a protest staged by members of Canberra's Aboriginal tent embassy."
Canberra Times: Time to remember for all wrong reasons
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/time-to-remember...
27 Jan 12: "NSW Aboriginal Land Council member Roy Ah-See shook his head sadly. He knew how Australia Day 2012 would be remembered. ''We don't want to reinforce the stereotypes and the stigma, and unfortunately this will make the news; this will sell newspapers, right? Because it's a negative story about Aboriginal people.''"
The Gazette: Indigenous leaders condemn Australian PM treatment
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Indigenous+leaders+condemn+Australia...
27 Jan 12: "Australian indigenous leaders Friday said they were appalled at the disrespect shown to Prime Minister Julia Gillard after she had to be dragged to safety from furious Aboriginal rights protesters."
news.com.au: Cue Whitney Houston: Here's Julia Gillard's bodyguard
http://www.news.com.au/national/cue-whitney-houston-heres-julia-gillards...
27 Jan 12: "HE'S Australia's answer to Kevin Costner. Pictures of him with his arms around Julia Gillard, protecting her from angry protesters, have made news around the world, and this morning breakfast shows played him the ultimate compliment and played Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You over the footage."
Newstalk ZB: Australians see images of frightened leader
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/news/nbint/1641975260-Australians-s...
27 Jan 12: "The images of a scared Australian Prime Minister could have a lasting impact on Julia Gillard's reputation. The Prime Minister was snapped with a look of terror on her face as she was scurried away by security after an angry mob of protestors gathered outside an event in Canberra yesterday."
news.com.au: Hey Julia, this shoe is going on eBay: Protesters put the boot into Prime Minister
http://www.news.com.au/national/mob-sinks-slipper-into-nations-day/story...
27 Jan 12: "ABORIGINAL activists are treating Julia Gillard's lost shoe as a trophy and will try to sell it online to raise money for their Canberra tent embassy. The Prime Minister lost the shoe as she was dragged away from an ugly confrontation with protesters at an Australia Day awards ceremony."
Australian: Indigenous activists remain unrepentant for a violent protest against Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/indigenous-activists-re...
27 Jan 12: "ABORIGINAL tent embassy leaders say the police allowed Julia Gillard's security to be compromised during yesterday's dramatic protest, which forced the Prime Minister and Tony Abbott to flee an Australia Day event. As Tony Abbott condemned the protesters as "un-Australian", tent embassy founder Michael Anderson said he regretted what had happened but protesters weren't to blame. ... He [Michael Anderson] accused the media of "cutting and splicing" images to make it look like the Aboriginal activists were attacking the Prime Minister."
ABC 7.30: Aboriginal leaders reflect on tent embassy protest
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2012/s3417455.htm?site=indigenous&top...
27 Jan 12: "A day on from the Australia Day protest by members of the Aboriginal tent embassy in Canberra, which targeted Tony Abbott but also swept up the Prime Minister and made international news, what has been the impact and fall out from the incident."
ABC: Gillard puts on brave face after riot rescue
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-26/gillard-27fine27-after-riot-rescue...
27 Jan 12: "Prime Minister Julia Gillard is putting on a brave face after she and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott had to be rescued from a group of angry protesters when Australia Day celebrations turned sour."
ABC: I'm fine: Gillard after security scare
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-27/im-fine-gillard-after-security-sca...
27 Jan 12: "Prime Minister Julia Gillard has shrugged off a security scare at an Australia Day function in Canberra."
ABC: Indigenous leaders condemn 'disgraceful' protesters
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-27/indigenous-leaders-condemn-27disgr...
27 Jan 12: "Former ALP president Warren Mundine says the protesters misinterpreted Mr Abbott's comments as a call to demolish the embassy. He says Mr Abbott was only questioning whether the embassy is outdated, something Mr Mundine agrees with. ... Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda has also sided with authorities, saying he is appalled at the level of disrespect and aggression shown towards the two leaders."
ABC: Tent Embassy protesters blame police for violence
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-27/aboriginal-protesters-blame-police...
27 Jan 12: "Tent Embassy protesters say police officers provoked them and outsiders infiltrated their demonstration before it turned violent in Canberra."
ABC: Gillard condemns protest violence
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-27/gillard-condemns-protest-violence/...
27 Jan 12: "Prime Minister Julia Gillard has spoken to the media about her anger over violent protests that disrupted an Australia Day function."
ABC: Abbott defends Tent Embassy comments
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-27/abbott-defends-tent-embassy-commen...
27 Jan 12: "Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has praised the Prime Minister's security detail for their handling of a violent protest at an Australia Day function."
ABC: Abbott defends Tent Embassy comments
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-27/abbott-praises-gillard-over-protes...
27 Jan 12: "The demonstrators said they had been incensed by Mr Abbott's comments in Sydney earlier in the day, when he questioned the continued relevance of the Tent Embassy. The Opposition Leader repeated the remarks this morning and said they were "perfectly reasonable"."
ABC: Tent Embassy spokesman hits back
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-27/tent-embassy-spokesman-hits-back/3...
27 Jan 12: "A spokesman for the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra has accused Tony Abbott of inciting protests that turned violent during an Australia day function in Canberra."
ABC: Abbott’s Embassy comments
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-27/abbotts-embassy-comments/3796304
27 Jan 12: "Watch the Tony Abbott interview which protesters say sparked yesterday's violent demonstration in Canberra."
Koori Mail: Embassy celebrations marred by police, protester scuffles
[scroll down page] http://www.koorimail.com/index.php
26 Jan 12: "ABORIGINAL protesters say they did not know at first that the Prime Minister Julia Gillard was in a Canberra restaurant they surrounded this afternoon, angry at comments made by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott about the future of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy. Mr Abbott told media in Sydney earlier in the day that, while he understood why the Aboriginal Embassy had been set up 'all those years ago', 'a lot has changed since then, and I think it probably is time to move on from that'."
SMH: PM dragged away after being trapped by protesters
http://www.smh.com.au/national/pm---dragged-away-after-being-trapped-by-...
26 Jan 12: "The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, had to be extracted from a restaurant near Parliament House as angry protesters banged on the glass. Supporters of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra picketed the Lobby restaurant over comments by Mr Abbott this morning that the tent embassy should close.
NT News: NT pollie on stage as crowd turned on PM
http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2012/01/26/285511_ntnews.html
26 Jan 12: "A TERRITORY politician was on stage at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy when a crowd of nearly 500 turned on Prime Minister Julia Gillard in ugly Australia Day scenes. Indigenous activist Barbara Shaw had taken the microphone from Barkly Shire president Rosalie Kunoth-Monks moments before the crowd ran towards the restaurant where Ms Gillard and opposition leader Tony Abbott were attending an Australia Day function."
CNN: Australian PM escorted out of building amid protest
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/26/world/australia-protests/?hpt=hp_t2
26 Jan 12: "Security officers dragged Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard out of a Canberra restaurant Thursday after an angry mob of protesters surrounded the building during a luncheon ceremony, police said."
TNT Magazine: Australian PM Julia Gillard rescued by police after aboriginal protest
http://www.tntmagazine.com/news/australia-news/australian-pm-julia-gilla...
26 Jan 12: "Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and the opposition leader, Tony Abbott, had to be rescued by riot police after they were trapped in a building in Canberra during a violent protest. The two leaders were at an Australia Day event when Aboriginal rights protesters started banging on the glass building, shouting "shame" and "racist"."
* THE MARCH UP TO PARLIAMENT HOUSE FROM THE TENT EMBASSY:
- Video
YouTube: 40 years of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy - march on parliament.mov
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XSRTKq2FrE
29 Jan 12: "40 years of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy - March on Parliament - 27 January 2012"
ABC: Indigenous protesters defend flag burning
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-28/flag-burning-condemned/3798386
28 Jan 12: "Indigenous protesters in Canberra have defended the burning of the national flag during unrest on Australia Day."
ABC: Tent Embassy protesters burn flag
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-27/tent-embassy-protesters-burn-flag/...
27 Jan 12: "Protesters from the Aboriginal Tent Embassy have burnt the Australian flag on the front steps of Parliament House in Canberra."
ABC: Tent Embassy protesters march on Parliament
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-27/tent-embassy-protesters-march-on-p...
27 Jan 12: "Protesters from the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra have marched on Parliament House to call for sovereignty for Indigenous people."
- News
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association:
CAAMA Radio News 1-2-12
http://caama.com.au/caama-radio-news-1-2-12
1 Feb 12: "An original member of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy says the group of protesters who burned the Australian Flag did so as a symbol of rejection for the way Government has treated Aboriginal people…not an attack on all Australians."
National Indigenous Times: Peaceful protest ends with burning of flag
http://www.nit.com.au/news/504-peaceful-protest-ends-with-burning-of-fla...
"By National Indigenous Times staff, Geoff Bagnall and Gerry Georgatos who took part in the protest march. It could have been one of the famous protests for Aboriginal land rights 40 years ago but it was in fact 2012 as a 15 year old girl burnt the Australian flag at the protest march on the forecourt of the Federal Parliament building last... "
Koori Mail: NLC: Flag burning 'went too far'
[scroll down page] http://www.koorimail.com/index.php
31 Jan 12: "THE Northern Land Council has criticised the behaviour of some protesters associated with the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra last week. The land council's CEO Kim Hill says the Tent Embassy remains relevant and should continue but some of the protesters' actions - including burning and reportedly spitting on the Australian flag - went too far. "...What we saw on our televisions on Australia Day and the days that followed certainly wasn't a good look," Mr Hill said."
Koori Mail: Protesters burn Australian flag
[scroll down page] http://www.koorimail.com/index.php
28 Jan 12: "AN Australian flag was set alight and burned during a smoking ceremony at the front doors of Parliament House in Canberra yesterday. Several hundred people walked from 40th anniversary celebrations at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy to be met by about 30 police, who then formed a protective cordon preventing the protesters from going inside the building. Outside, the group cheered and chanted as a 15-year-old girl aided by her younger brother burned the flag, declaring that it had given Australians the right to murder, rape and hurt their people."
Age: Flag burned and spat on [sic]
http://www.theage.com.au/national/flag-burned-and-spat-on-20120127-1qlta...
28 Jan 12: "ABORIGINAL tent embassy protesters burned and spat on [sic] the Australian flag on the front steps of Parliament House, as tensions at the controversial protest site erupted in Canberra yesterday. A crowd of at least 400 protesters marched from the tent embassy outside Old Parliament House, stopping the traffic on Commonwealth Avenue, and then stormed the front verandah of Parliament House at about 2.30pm, despite large numbers of police."
ABC: Tent Embassy protesters march on Parliament
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-27/protesters-march-on-parliament-hou...
27 Jan 12: "More than 200 activists from the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra have marched on Parliament House, chanting outside the front doors "always was, always will be Aboriginal land". On the way the demonstrators blocked Commonwealth Avenue, one of the city's main thoroughfares. Despite a heavy police presence, including a number of police dogs, authorities were unable to hold an initial cordon at the edge of Parliament's forecourt and were forced to retreat in the face of overwhelming numbers."
Mail Online: Aboriginal protesters burn Australian flag outside Parliament... but at least PM Julia Gillard has got her shoe back
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2092601/Julia-Gillards-shoe-held...
27 Jan 12: "A group of Aboriginal protesters hit the headlines again today after they set fire to the Australian flag outside the country's Parliament in Canberra. A video captured showed protesters outside Parliament setting light to the flag and spitting on [sic] it while chanting, 'Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.'"
Canberra Times: Protest heats up
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/protest-heats-up...
27 Jan 12: "Police are investigating whether an offence was committed when protesters set fire to the Australian flag in front of Parliament House today. Tent Embassy protesters took their call for sovereignty to Parliament House, burning an Australian flag in the building's forecourt."
- Audio
ABC PM: Aboriginal protesters burn flag at Parliament
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2012/s3417301.htm?site=indigenous&topic...
27 Jan 12: "Tension is still high among some of the Aboriginal protesters at the Tent Embassy on Canberra. About 200 of them marched on Parliament House in Canberra this afternoon. Some took part in the burning of an Australian flag. Other Aboriginal leaders at the scene have told PM that they're disgusted by the behaviour of what they describe as a "splinter group" of protesters."
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