Newsletter date: 14 December 2012
Contents:
* Indymedia Australia: Powerhouse of Indigenous protest celebrated in art
* NIRS: Sandon Point Embassy to celebrate 12 years [15 & 16 Dec 12]
* Background to the Aboriginal tent embassies
* Sovereign Union: Michael Anderson's urgent letter to United Nations Ambassadors, New York
Re: 12 Dec 12 Assault on Aboriginal Embassy in Brisbane by colonial authorities
* ABC Brisbane: Sacred fire re-lit at Musgrave Park as supporters vow to stay
* SMH Video: Three arrested in [Brisbane] tent embassy midnight raid
* news.com.au Video: Police storm Aboriginal tent embassy after Indigenous activists re-light flame in Musgrave Park, West End
* We will keep the fire burning: Rally and march to Town Hall [Friday 14 Dec 12]
* Workers BushTelegraph: Save the Sacred Fire in Musgrave Park!
* Videos re Brisbane Sovereign Embassy, Musgrave Park, South Brisbane, Qld
* News re Brisbane Sovereign Embassy, Musgrave Park, South Brisbane, Qld
* Background to the Brisbane Sovereign Embassy, Musgrave Park, South Brisbane, Qld
* INDYMEDIA AUSTRALIA: POWERHOUSE OF INDIGENOUS PROTEST CELEBRATED IN ART
- News
Indymedia Australia: Powerhouse of Indigenous protest celebrated in art
http://www.indymedia.org.au/2012/12/11/powerhouse-of-indigenous-protest-...
6 Dec 12: "An artwork that will continue to grow is among the highlights of an art exhibition honouring 40 years of the Aboriginal tent embassy. ... the embassy has become a heritage-listed landmark for Aboriginal protest. "The students have grasped a strong understanding of the roots of the tent embassy ... Koori Art Expressions 2012, which opened last month at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum, contains artworks created by Sydney school students from Kindergarten to Year 12. More than 70 works and 26 schools were represented in the exhibition that was inspired by this year's theme for NAIDOC Week - the Spirit of the Tent Embassy: 40 years."
* NIRS: SANDON POINT EMBASSY TO CELEBRATE 12 YEARS [15 & 16 DEC 12]
- News
National Indigenous Radio Service: Sandon Point Embassy to celebrate 12 years
http://www.nirs.org.au/news/latest-news/7688-sandon-point-embassy-to-cel...
13 Dec 12: "The Sandon Point Aboriginal Embassy at Bulli in New South Wales will celebrate its 12th anniversary this weekend. The Embassy will mark the occasion over the 15th and 16th of December with traditional ceremony and music from Coloured Stoned, Joe Geia and Bart Willoughby. Roy 'Dootch' Kennedy is the Chair of the Illawarra Local Aboriginal Land Council and Embassy ambassador. He says it's an important occasion for the Embassy, which was set up to protect a burial site."
- Event
Event: Sat 15 and Sun 16 December 2012: McCauley’s Beach, Thirroul, NSW
Sandon Point Aboriginal Tent Embassy and
North Illawarra Reconciliation & Treaty Group
are proud to present the
SPATE 12th
Anniversary Ceremony and Community Celebration &
Gathering of the Sovereign Aboriginal Nations
"We dedicate the SPATE 12th to honouring the
leadership, strength and integrity of
Aunty Isabell Coe" (Roy Dootch Kennedy)
"Saturday morning start gathering for
cultural ceremony around the Sacred Fire
for peace and justice at Kuradji.
Then a meeting of the Aboriginal Sovereign
Nations, with elders and representatives of
Aboriginal Tent Embassy from all over
the country coming."
Event details: http://songlines.org.au/2012/11/30/kuradji-sandon-point-aboriginal-tent-...
Event details: http://www.facebook.com/events/281539401952506/?fref=ts
Event details: http://www.sandon-point.org.au/event/20121215/441.html
Flyer: http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/32378_3915139918664_207529...
About SPATE: http://www.sandon-point.org.au/content/about-sandon-point.html
* BACKGROUND TO THE ABORIGINAL TENT EMBASSIES:
Last updated: 13 December 2012
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-the-aboriginal-sovereig...
* SOVEREIGN UNION: MICHAEL ANDERSON'S URGENT LETTER TO UNITED NATIONS AMBASSADORS, NEW YORK
RE: 12 DEC 12 ASSAULT ON ABORIGINAL EMBASSY IN BRISBANE BY COLONIAL AUTHORITIES:
- Letter
Sovereign Union: Michael Anderson's urgent letter to United Nations Ambassadors, New York
http://www.sovereignunion.mobi/content/michael-andersons-urgent-letter-u...
12 Dec 12: "(Letter sent to all UN Ambassadors in New York)
Your Excellency,
Re: 12 December 2012 Assault on Aboriginal Embassy in Brisbane by colonial authorities
Just after midnight on 12 December 2012 eighty police, firemen and council workers stormed the Brisbane Aboriginal Embassy for no justifiable reason. The Embassy has been established for the last nine months, as a focal point for Aboriginal expression and representation of issues. Our Aboriginal Embassies are no longer viewed as protests, but as an expression of our continuing sovereignty in our own land.
The government in Australia knows full well that individual Aboriginal Nations represent their own Nation's interests. Musgrave Park was chosen as the site for the Brisbane Embassy, because it is a well-known gathering place for our people, who come from different nations. It has been used as a meeting place by Aboriginal people from all over Queensland and other states for the last 80 years or more. Musgrave Park has offered sanctuary as a meeting place for all that time and is respected as a neutral zone by so many people from different nations.
The Brisbane Musgrave Park Embassy has been distributing information and holding discussions expressing the plight of their respective nations and communities. Recently the Brisbane Embassy hosted a conference on Sovereignty and the fraudulent Native Title system. It is not surprising that the invading colonial state of Queensland seeks to silence these expressions. ... Sincerely
Michael Anderson,
Chair, Interim National Unity Government
Sovereign Union of First Nations and Peoples in Australia"
See:
WGAR News: 1st Brisbane Sovereignty & Land Rights Conference: Sovereign Union & Treaty Republic (5 Dec 12)
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/12/05/wgar-news-1st-brisbane-sovereignty-la...
Sovereign Union - First Nations Interim National Unity Government:
Asserting Australia's First Nations Sovereignty into Governance
http://www.sovereignunion.mobi/
* ABC BRISBANE: SACRED FIRE RE-LIT AT MUSGRAVE PARK AS SUPPORTERS VOW TO STAY
- News
ABC Brisbane: Sacred fire re-lit at Musgrave Park as supporters vow to stay
http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/12/06/3652436.htm?site=brisbane
12 Dec 12: "Supporters of the Aboriginal tent embassy have gathered in Musgrave Park for a planned community meeting on the future of the presence of the embassy. Long-time embassy leader Wayne Coco Wharton addressed the group of around 50 supporters of the Aboriginal embassy at Musgrave Park on Wednesday just hours after he was released from bail following a number of arrests at the site on Tuesday night. Mr Wharton addressed the crowd from across the road due to his bail conditions calling for the resignation of Brisbane's Lord Mayor Graham Quirk and canvassing support for a continued embassy presence." By Emma Sykes
- Related Audio
ABC Brisbane Drive with Tim Cox: Brisbane sovereign embassy packed up
http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2012/12/brisbane-sovereign-embassy-pa...
12 Dec 12: "After several months of being in existance Brisbane's Sovereign Embassy site in Musgrave Park has been closed down by Council and police. Tim spoke with Lord Mayor Graham Quirk just before the site was dismantled."
* SMH VIDEO: THREE ARRESTED IN [BRISBANE] TENT EMBASSY MIDNIGHT RAID
- Video
SMH: Three arrested in tent embassy midnight raid
http://www.smh.com.au/queensland/three-arrested-in-tent-embassy-midnight...
12 Dec 12: "Indigenous protesters and Brisbane City Council are at loggerheads, with the protesters vowing to stay at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy site in Brisbane's Musgrave Park "until we die" and Lord Mayor Graham Quirk standing behind his decision to shut it down. The council shut down the embassy on Tuesday, extinguishing a "sacred fire" under the watch of Aboriginal elders, but overnight protesters tried to re-establish the embassy and police arrested three people during midnight raids."
* NEWS.COM.AU VIDEO: POLICE STORM ABORIGINAL TENT EMBASSY AFTER INDIGENOUS ACTIVISTS RE-LIGHT FLAME IN MUSGRAVE PARK, WEST END
- Video
news.com.au : Police storm Aboriginal tent embassy after Indigenous activists re-light flame in Musgrave Park, West End
http://www.news.com.au/national/aboriginal-tent-embassy-in-west-end-clos...
12 Dec 12: "PROTESTORS have vowed not to leave the Brisbane tent embassy site and have called on Lord Mayor Graham Quirk and police to meet with them. About eight protestors remain at the tent embassy site on Wednesday morning, with a small fire continuing to burn. Brisbane City Councils workers were watching the protestors from about 200 meters away but left about 8am. ... Judulu of the Woomera people said all property including tents and bedding were taken away by police during last night's raid but the protesters are determined to rebuild their site."
* WE WILL KEEP THE FIRE BURNING: RALLY AND MARCH TO TOWN HALL [FRIDAY 14 DEC 12]
- Event
We will keep the fire burning: Rally and march to Town Hall
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xq2MYVtgYJ4/UMkFHd36zJI/AAAAAAAAGRM/ucRcb5D9Zg...
Socialist Alliance Qld: Tent Embassy Closure: Rally and march on Town Hall: This Friday Dec 14
http://socialistalliance-brisbane.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/tent-embassy-c...
* WORKERS BUSH TELEGRAPH: SAVE THE SACRED FIRE IN MUSGRAVE PARK!
- Advocacy
Workers BushTelegraph: Save the Sacred Fire in Musgrave Park!
http://workersbushtelegraph.com.au/2012/12/11/save-the-sacred-fire-in-mu...
11 Dec 12: "Call to workers, to unions:
This is a call to workers and their organisations. Do not participate in this shameful act of dispossession - ask yourselves what job description as council officer, as fireman, as social worker says that you must assist is taking Musgrave Park from people who have always lived there and for whom it is a sacred place where all tribes come together."
* VIDEOS RE BRISBANE SOVEREIGN EMBASSY, MUSGRAVE PARK, SOUTH BRISBANE, QLD:
- Photos
Courier-Mail Image Gallery: Police raid Musgrave Park
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/gallery-e6frer9f-1226534948853?page=1
- Videos
SBS World News: Police quell Brisbane Tent Embassy clashes
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/video/12068419610/Police-move-in-on-Brisbane-...
12 Dec 12: "Police have moved in to break up the Brisbane Tent Embassy at Musgrave Park. Apparently there were clashes overnight when suporters tried to take back the site and re-establish the sacred fire."
Brisbane Times: Three arrested in tent embassy midnight raid
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/three-arrested-in-tent-embass...
12 Dec 12: "One of the Aboriginal tent embassy protesters arrested in Musgrave Park overnight has denied the elders who gave permission for the embassy to be taken down have the authority to order such a thing. Brisbane City Council shut down the embassy on Tuesday, extinguishing a "sacred fire" under the watch of Aboriginal elders, but overnight protesters tried to re-establish the embassy and police arrested three people during midnight raids."
Nine MSN Video: Police, activists clash over Brisbane tent embassy
http://video.au.msn.com/watch/video/police-activists-clash-over-brisbane...
12 Dec 12: "Police and Aboriginal activists have gone head-to-head at the tent embassy in Brisbane overnight as officers moved in to dismantle the site."
Australian: Three arrested in Brisbane tent embassy dispute
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/three-arrested-in-brisbane-t...
12 Dec 12: "BRISBANE'S lord mayor says any further attempts to re-establish an Aboriginal tent embassy in a city park will be shut down. Three people were arrested overnight after Brisbane City Council staff yesterday dismantled the tent embassy in Musgrave Park. The council said it was acting at the request of local elders, who believed the site wasn't being run in accordance with its original purpose. But supporters moved back in last night, setting up new tents and re-lighting a sacred fire."
Age: Tent embassy gone
http://media.theage.com.au/national/selections/tent-embassy-gone-3882755...
12 Dec 12: "Elders agree to have the aboriginal tent embassy at Musgrave Park removed late Tuesday, saying it has been "overrun" by people being "disrespectful of Musgrave Park"."
* NEWS RE BRISBANE SOVEREIGN EMBASSY, MUSGRAVE PARK, SOUTH BRISBANE, QLD:
- Audio
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association:
http://caama.com.au/radio#tabs-6
http://caama.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/am-13-12.mp3
13 Dec 12: "One of three Brisbane Aboriginal Tent Embassy campaigners who spent a night in jail after being taken into custody on Tuesday says attempts by the state Premier and Mayor of Brisbane to remove the campsite are futile."
- News
National Indigenous Radio Service: Vows to keep sacred fire burning at Musgrave Park
http://www.nirs.org.au/news/latest-news/7689-vows-to-keep-sacred-fire-bu...
13 Dec 12: "Brisbane Sovereign Embassy members says they'll continue their protest and keep the sacred fire burning after it was extinguished by the City Council on Tuesday night. Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk says community elders asked for the fire to be put out and the site to be dismantled. Embassy members have rejected this and say those present at a meeting with council didn't represent the views of the Embassy. Jagera elder and member Kevin Vieritz says the Embassy will continue their demands for a treaty and it was disrespectful to extinguish the fire."
news.com.au : Activists still guarding tent embassy fire
http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/national/activists-still-guarding-t...
13 Dec 12: "TWO activists have spent the night guarding the smouldering coals of a fire at the Aboriginal tent embassy in Brisbane. Protester Gladys Weazel vowed on Thursday to stay put and continue the vigil with her father in Musgrave Park. Brisbane City Council evicted people from the site on Tuesday, three of whom were later arrested in a midnight raid. Ms Weazel says the council "just doesn't like Aboriginal people". "We clean up our mess. We don't hassle anyone. This is our meeting place. All our people passed away here," she told AAP."
Australian: Police move in on tent embassy again
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/activists-still-guard...
13 Dec 12: "AUTHORITIES have again doused a sacred fire and attempted to evict Aboriginal activists trying to re-establish Brisbane's tent embassy. The Brisbane City Council shut down the embassy in inner-city Musgrave Park on Tuesday, extinguishing a sacred fire under the watch of Aboriginal elders. ... But an elder, Judulu, said it was a peaceful protest and urged council to let the protesters be. He said they would not be removed from the park. ... Activists who support the embassy say the council has listened only to some elders to push its own agenda."
National Indigenous Radio Service: Shut down of Brisbane Embassy slammed
http://www.nirs.org.au/news/latest-news/7686-shut-down-of-brisbane-embas...
12 Dec 12: "Brisbane Aboriginal Sovereign Embassy campaigner Boe Spearim says the Brisbane City Council wasn't justified in dismantling the site at Musgrave Park last night. ... It's reported the Embassy was being misused, piling up rubbish and no longer serving its intended purpose. Mr. Spearim says groups who called for the Embassy to be shut down have limited involvement with it and reports of drug and alcohol use there are misguided. He says there's always been substance abuse in the Musgrave Park area and often the Embassy attempts to help people."
Perth Now: We won't budge: tent embassy supporters
http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/breaking-news/stand-off-at-brisbane-tent...
12 Dec 12: "A HANDFUL of supporters say they'll ignore orders to abandon the site of an Aboriginal tent embassy in Brisbane. Three people were arrested overnight after supporters moved back into Musgrave Park in South Brisbane, in a bid to re-establish a tent embassy dismantled by council officers on Tuesday. ... On Wednesday a few supporters remained on the site, refusing to budge. They included Woomera elder Judulu, who said the group had salvaged a hot coal from the sacred fire authorities had tried to put out on Tuesday. It was used to light another nearby."
Nine News: Protesters remain at Brisbane tent embassy
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2012/12/12/01/07/stand-off-at-brisba...
12 Dec 12: "This week has seen the end of Brisbane's Aboriginal tent embassy, with indigenous elders turning on each other over its unceremonious closure. ... A handful of supporters rekindled the fire again on Wednesday and guarded it, vowing not to move. ... One of the three arrested in the clashes, Wayne Wharton of the Kooma people, wants an investigation into the motives behind its closure. "He (Mr Quirk) has caused irreparable damage to the Aboriginal community and their relationship with the broader community," Mr Wharton told AAP."
Koori Mail: Arrests after Bris embassy closed
[scroll down page] http://www.koorimail.com/index.php
12 Dec 12: "THREE people were arrested late yesterday while trying to re-establish the Aboriginal tent embassy in Brisbane’s Musgrave Park, which had earlier been closed down by Brisbane City Council staff. Brisbane lord mayor Graham Quirk told AAP that Aboriginal Elders had asked for the site to be closed because it had lost its original purpose. But Embassy supporters including Wayne 'Coco' Wharton insist the embassy has the support of the Brisbane Aboriginal community. It is understood those arrested were charged with breaching the peace, and contravening a police direction."
Brisbane Times: Tent embassy cleared
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/tent-embassy-cleared-20121211...
12 Dec 12: "The sovereign tent embassy at Musgrave Park was shut down and cleared up by council officers after Lord Mayor Graham Quirk revoked permission the site be used for the purpose of peaceful protest on Tuesday. Following an afternoon meeting with elders from the Jaggera community Cr Quirk approached the South Brisbane campsite, formally withdrew the council's permission - granted in May - and called in a rapid response team to pack away tents and the possessions of those camped there."
ABC: Police arrest Brisbane tent embassy supporters
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-12/police-arrest-brisbane-tent-embass...
12 Dec 12: "Three people have been arrested during an angry clash between police and Aboriginal protesters at the Brisbane tent embassy overnight. The council shut down the embassy site at Musgrave Park in South Brisbane yesterday afternoon, at the request of local Indigenous elders. The elders had expressed serious concerns to the council about the way it was being run. Later in the evening, a smaller group of Indigenous embassy supporters returned to Musgrave Park, set up tents and restarted two sacred fires."
ABC Brisbane: Tent embassy supporters arrested at Musgrave Park
http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/12/06/3652436.htm
12 Dec 12: "Supporters of the Aboriginal tent embassy in Brisbane have been arrested after refusing to leave the site overnight. Three people have been arrested during an angry clash between police and Aboriginal protesters at the Brisbane tent embassy on Tuesday night. Officers with Brisbane City Council were called in to clean up the tent embassy on Tuesday, after Cnr Quirk formally withdrew the council's permission for the embassy at Musgrave Park at the request of local Indigenous Elders.
SBS World News: Tent embassy won't rise again: mayor
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1719831/Stand-off-at-Brisbane-tent-em...
12 Dec 12: "Any attempts to re-establish an Aboriginal tent embassy in a Brisbane park will be shut down, the city's mayor says. Brisbane City Council staff dismantled the tent embassy in Musgrave Park on Tuesday. The council said it was acting at the request of local elders, who believed the site wasn't being run in accordance with its original purpose. But supporters moved back in on Tuesday night, setting up new tents and re-lighting a sacred fire."
* BACKGROUND TO THE BRISBANE SOVEREIGN EMBASSY, MUSGRAVE PARK, SOUTH BRISBANE, QLD:
Last updated: 8 December 2012
[scroll down page] http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-the-aboriginal-sovereig...
- - -
About WGAR News:
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/30/about-wgar-news-working-group-for-abo...
Subscription to 'WGAR News' is free.
'WGAR News' monitors the media, including alternative media, focusing on:
* the Australian Federal government intervention into Northern Territory (NT) Aboriginal communities;
* the Aboriginal sovereignty movement and tent embassies;
* other Aboriginal rights issues; and
* upcoming Aboriginal rights events around Australia.
'WGAR News' publishes information and opinions from a wide range of sources. These opinions expressed are not necessarily the opinions of WGAR.
The e-newsletters include media releases, opinion pieces, news items and events. Subscribers can expect to receive about 5 e-newsletters each week.
To subscribe, email wgar.news@gmail.com and include the words "subscribe WGAR News" in the message header.
To unsubscribe, email wgar.news@gmail.com and include the words "unsubscribe WGAR News" in the message header.
- - -
You can also subscribe to our second list 'Contact WGAR' which provides a point of contact and includes occasional activities and events.
To subscribe, email contactwgar@gmail.com and include the words "subscribe WGAR Contact" in the message header.
- - -
WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)
WGAR Website: http://wgar.wordpress.com/