Today thousands of people all over the world took to their respective streets on this, the National Day of Action, to show solidarity with Aussies all over the country whose communities are being forcibly closed.
From the Melbourne event. Photos via Getty by Scott Barbour.
Protests were planned in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Darwin, Perth, Hobart, Cairns, Rockhampton, Albury-Wodonga, Alice Springs, Dubbo, Orange, Geelong and, Moree, Ceduna and a few scattered across US, Canada, New Zealand, Germany and London.
This all became necessary after the decision was handed down that the responsibility to fund remote Indigenous settlements would henceforth fall entirely on state governments. Premier Colin Barnett then announced that hundreds of communities across his state would need to go away, for $ reasons.
Never mind the fact that, as we have previously pointed out, the the UN’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states that “Indigenous peoples and individuals have the right not to be subjected to forced assimilation or destruction of their culture.”
We headed down to the Sydney rally at Redfern Aboriginal Tent Embassy (RATE) and yes, it was a protest, but it was incredibly calm and positive – it well and truly lived up to its promise of solidarity.
To find out more and to support the cause head to SOSBlakAustralia.
