Aborigines will march for land rights on Invasion Day 26 January
Aborigines plan street protest to revive calls for sovereignty, SMH, Debra Jopson, January 21, 2012 ABORIGINES angry about having neither a place in the constitution nor a treaty are set to use Australia Day to revive street protests like those of 40 years ago that gave birth to the Canberra tent embassy, a leader of the nation’s peak indigenous body has warned.
”Next week people will be asked that question: will they want to start up political action, particularly with a hostile government, and go back to street demonstrations of 1972? And the answer is likely to be yes,” said Les Malezer, the co-chairman of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples.
Mr Malezer, a firebrand who was elected as the co-chairman of the new body alongside the more moderate former NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs head Jody Broun, said that the report commissioned by the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, recommending constitutional change would ignite a bigger debate.
But as thousands are expected to head to Canberra next week to commemorate the Australia Day occupation of the Parliament House lawns four decades ago, the government showed no intention of wanting to discuss wider issues of sovereignty, treaty and land rights, Mr Malezer said.
The congress, established by indigenous people themselves to succeed the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission as a national voice, is reviving long-time calls for sovereignty and self-determination with a two-day Canberra ”people’s forum” from Tuesday to coincide with tent embassy anniversary celebrations……
grassroots activists are planning a fresh sovereignty campaign and will march for land rights in Canberra on Thursday morning, the 224th anniversary of the First Fleet’s landing.
”The government is in for serious confrontation from the Aboriginal people this year … The political movement will be ramped up and will be more aggressive,” said an organiser, the tent embassy veteran Michael Anderson.
The only man living of the four protesters who first squatted on Old Parliament House lawn on Australia Day in 1972, he will sleep on the ground again in the tent city that will spring up for the commemoration.
On Thursday and Friday, campers from all over Australia will join separate men’s and women’s ”talking circles” to discuss sovereignty, a treaty and land rights, and will issue a charter of demands, Mr Anderson said.
Mr Malezer said native title had produced only small results in recognising Aboriginal ownership over lands and instead had often resulted in agreements with other groups such as mining companies over shared management……..
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