Earlier today, a group of around 100 people gathered in Brisbane’s CBD to draw attention to disadvantage in the indigenous Australian community, ahead of the upcoming G20 leaders’ summit in the city.
ABC News report that the demonstration was planned to highlight the fact that 14,000 indigenous children are currently living in out-of-home care, a situation that has been referred to as a continuation of the stolen generation.
The demonstrators, some of whom had traveled from across the country to take part, gathered at Roma Street in the city, and marched to Musgrave Park in South Brisbane.
Brisbane is under a high level of security in the lead-up to the G20 summit, and a group of 20 unarmed, plain-clothes police officers watched the demonstration from the streets, while a helicopter monitored it from above.
Last week saw an angry confrontation between several indigenous elders and the Brisbane City Council, following claims that the protest headquarters at Musgrave Park’s Jagera Hall had been locked without warning or consultation.
Jagera Hall has been a contested area between indigenous groups and local government, but after a group of 30 protesters attended a Brisbane City Council meeting on Tuesday afternoon, a long-term lease was eventually signed.
Further demonstrations are expected through the week.
Photos: Glenn Hunt via Getty Images
