Black Dagger
25th January 2007, 04:47
On Australia Day in demonstrations around the country protesters will be
proclaiming that there is 'no pride in a blood stained flag'.
Twenty years after the commencement of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal
Deaths in Custody activists are taking to the streets across Australia to
demand justice for the death of Mulrunji and an end to state violence in
all its forms. Activists will not be flying Australian flags in solidarity
with suffering communities on the anniversary of the devastating invasion
by the European culture.
It is the first Australia Day protest for several years to target police
violence against Indigenous Australians. The rallies come in response to
the breakdown of justice in the Mulrunji case as well as other high profile
government failures amongst Indigenous communities.
There has been strong criticism to the arrest of Mulrunji and his
subsequent death in a Palm Island police station at the hands of Senior
Sergeant Chris Hurley. Despite a coronial judgement blaming Hurley for the
broken ribs and the nearly cleaved spleen that lead to Mulrunji’s death,
the Queensland Government has been embroiled in a spate of mishandlings
exacerbating the trauma in the Palm Island community. At present the
officer remains uncharged and has been sighted in Surfers Paradise, whilst
several Aboriginal mothers from Palm Island were sentenced to jail terms
over Christmas as a result of the backlash against the findings.
In addition to the heavy handed treatment of Aboriginal protesters in the
aftermath of Mulrunji’s death, the community has suffered the suicide of
Mulrunji’s son as well as the suicide of the main witness to Mulrunji’s
death. These deaths along with other suicides and instances of child sexual
abuse have rocked the Palm Island community and signify a crisis in
relations between the government and Aboriginal communities.
The chronic shortage of resources to the Aboriginal communities, as exposed
by a leaked memo from Premier Peter Beattie’s office, has contributed to
what some perceive as the continued and systemic racism against Indigenous
Australians.
The justice system in Queensland has been thrown back into a crisis not
felt since the days of the Fitzgerald Inquiry, with exposed conflicts of
interest in the review process and departmental resignations resulting from
the Mulrunji case. The alleged assault of an Aboriginal man in custody in
Arakun several weeks ago has placed more heat on the issue of police
violence. Since 1990 there have been over 200 Indigenous deaths in custody
and few recommendations implemented from the Royal Commission
Melbourne Rally organiser Brianna Pike says “Aboriginal communities in
Australia are diverse and offer many sources of inspiration. The
governments of Australia blame Aboriginal people, when in reality it is the
lack of government resources and a prevailing culture of racism that is
creating the conditions of social dysfunction which some Aboriginal
communities are experiencing. It is not a question of if another death in
custody is going to happen, but when it’s going to happen.”
In Melbourne the rally will meet at the State Library at 11am January 26
before marching and joining the Share the Spirit Festival at Treasury
Gardens.
In Brisbane the rally will commence at 10am outside State Parliament.
In Canberra there are actions at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.
Contacts:
Sam Watson: 0401 227 443
Brianna Pike: 0439 694 505
Alex Ettling: 0419 110 487
Key Points:
+ The 2007 Australia Day protests mark the first rallies against Aboriginal
deaths in custody for several years.
+ Mulrunji was a Palm Island man who was beaten to death by a police
officer in 2004
+ After findings into the death, which blamed Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley
but let him go free, residents of Palm Island protested.
+ Whilst the police officer went free, taser guns were used on the Palm
Island protesters and several Aboriginal people were given jail sentences
for damage to property.
+ Since the events in 2004, there has been the subsequent suicide of
Mulrunji’s son and also the suicide of the main witness to Mulrunji’s
arrest.
+ The review process into the Mulrunji case has been fraught with
mishandlings. This included the resignation of the former chief judge of
the Queensland District Court Pat Shanahan, who was later exposed to have
been on the board, which hired the Queensland Director of Public
Prosecutions Leanne Clare. Clare was the person who made the decision not
to charge Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley for Mulrunji’s death.
+ Since the mishandlings of the Queensland Government, Col Dillon, the
first Aboriginal person to become a police officer, publicly resigned from
his job at the Department of Communities.
+ Already in 2007, there has been an alleged assault of an Aboriginal man
in Arakun at the hands of a police officer. An incident which also
allegedly involved a police officer firing a private weapon into a crowd of
protesters.
+ Palm Island is just one under resourced Aboriginal community as evidenced
by a leaked memo from Premier Peter Beattie’s office, which was suppressed
during the Queensland election.
+ Experiences of sexual abuse and violence, including the alleged rape of a
baby on Palm Island are frustrating the efforts of members of the community
to solve their own problems.
+ Many Aboriginal communities are under resourced or inappropriately
resources. + Palm Island has an unemployment rate of 95%.
+ Aboriginal communities are diverse, as are individual Aboriginal people,
which have lead to a frustration over stigmatisation.
+ Even though there was a 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in
Custody few of the recommendations have been implemented.
+ There have been over 200 Aboriginal deaths in custody since 1990.
+ On 20 December 2006, thousands of people around Australia protested to
demand justice for Mulrunji.
+ Australia has a brutal history of European colonialism, which has yet to
be reconciled in any meaningful way with the original inhabitants of the
land.
proclaiming that there is 'no pride in a blood stained flag'.
Twenty years after the commencement of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal
Deaths in Custody activists are taking to the streets across Australia to
demand justice for the death of Mulrunji and an end to state violence in
all its forms. Activists will not be flying Australian flags in solidarity
with suffering communities on the anniversary of the devastating invasion
by the European culture.
It is the first Australia Day protest for several years to target police
violence against Indigenous Australians. The rallies come in response to
the breakdown of justice in the Mulrunji case as well as other high profile
government failures amongst Indigenous communities.
There has been strong criticism to the arrest of Mulrunji and his
subsequent death in a Palm Island police station at the hands of Senior
Sergeant Chris Hurley. Despite a coronial judgement blaming Hurley for the
broken ribs and the nearly cleaved spleen that lead to Mulrunji’s death,
the Queensland Government has been embroiled in a spate of mishandlings
exacerbating the trauma in the Palm Island community. At present the
officer remains uncharged and has been sighted in Surfers Paradise, whilst
several Aboriginal mothers from Palm Island were sentenced to jail terms
over Christmas as a result of the backlash against the findings.
In addition to the heavy handed treatment of Aboriginal protesters in the
aftermath of Mulrunji’s death, the community has suffered the suicide of
Mulrunji’s son as well as the suicide of the main witness to Mulrunji’s
death. These deaths along with other suicides and instances of child sexual
abuse have rocked the Palm Island community and signify a crisis in
relations between the government and Aboriginal communities.
The chronic shortage of resources to the Aboriginal communities, as exposed
by a leaked memo from Premier Peter Beattie’s office, has contributed to
what some perceive as the continued and systemic racism against Indigenous
Australians.
The justice system in Queensland has been thrown back into a crisis not
felt since the days of the Fitzgerald Inquiry, with exposed conflicts of
interest in the review process and departmental resignations resulting from
the Mulrunji case. The alleged assault of an Aboriginal man in custody in
Arakun several weeks ago has placed more heat on the issue of police
violence. Since 1990 there have been over 200 Indigenous deaths in custody
and few recommendations implemented from the Royal Commission
Melbourne Rally organiser Brianna Pike says “Aboriginal communities in
Australia are diverse and offer many sources of inspiration. The
governments of Australia blame Aboriginal people, when in reality it is the
lack of government resources and a prevailing culture of racism that is
creating the conditions of social dysfunction which some Aboriginal
communities are experiencing. It is not a question of if another death in
custody is going to happen, but when it’s going to happen.”
In Melbourne the rally will meet at the State Library at 11am January 26
before marching and joining the Share the Spirit Festival at Treasury
Gardens.
In Brisbane the rally will commence at 10am outside State Parliament.
In Canberra there are actions at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.
Contacts:
Sam Watson: 0401 227 443
Brianna Pike: 0439 694 505
Alex Ettling: 0419 110 487
Key Points:
+ The 2007 Australia Day protests mark the first rallies against Aboriginal
deaths in custody for several years.
+ Mulrunji was a Palm Island man who was beaten to death by a police
officer in 2004
+ After findings into the death, which blamed Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley
but let him go free, residents of Palm Island protested.
+ Whilst the police officer went free, taser guns were used on the Palm
Island protesters and several Aboriginal people were given jail sentences
for damage to property.
+ Since the events in 2004, there has been the subsequent suicide of
Mulrunji’s son and also the suicide of the main witness to Mulrunji’s
arrest.
+ The review process into the Mulrunji case has been fraught with
mishandlings. This included the resignation of the former chief judge of
the Queensland District Court Pat Shanahan, who was later exposed to have
been on the board, which hired the Queensland Director of Public
Prosecutions Leanne Clare. Clare was the person who made the decision not
to charge Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley for Mulrunji’s death.
+ Since the mishandlings of the Queensland Government, Col Dillon, the
first Aboriginal person to become a police officer, publicly resigned from
his job at the Department of Communities.
+ Already in 2007, there has been an alleged assault of an Aboriginal man
in Arakun at the hands of a police officer. An incident which also
allegedly involved a police officer firing a private weapon into a crowd of
protesters.
+ Palm Island is just one under resourced Aboriginal community as evidenced
by a leaked memo from Premier Peter Beattie’s office, which was suppressed
during the Queensland election.
+ Experiences of sexual abuse and violence, including the alleged rape of a
baby on Palm Island are frustrating the efforts of members of the community
to solve their own problems.
+ Many Aboriginal communities are under resourced or inappropriately
resources. + Palm Island has an unemployment rate of 95%.
+ Aboriginal communities are diverse, as are individual Aboriginal people,
which have lead to a frustration over stigmatisation.
+ Even though there was a 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in
Custody few of the recommendations have been implemented.
+ There have been over 200 Aboriginal deaths in custody since 1990.
+ On 20 December 2006, thousands of people around Australia protested to
demand justice for Mulrunji.
+ Australia has a brutal history of European colonialism, which has yet to
be reconciled in any meaningful way with the original inhabitants of the
land.