Aboriginal Tent Embassy Canberra
Monday night, at 9pm the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, on the
lawns opposite Old Parliament House was a boom and a blast with the third
firebomb attack in just over 12 months. The Aboriginal Tent Embassy has
been the driving force of the Aboriginal Sovereignty movement since 1972 and
remains the grassroots platform for the voices of Aboriginal Peoples.
“This is a deliberate attempt to drive us from the tent
embassy site, it’s quite a few times that we’ve been attacked now
and it’s just another example of the lengths they’ll go to get rid
of us. This is the Aboriginal Tent Embassy and, we won’t go
away we will stay and fight, we have a right to life and a right to existence
and a right to being who we are, Aboriginal people,” declared Aboriginal
Tent Embassy Elder, Uncle Neville Chappie Williams in front the blazing camp.
“The fact that people are forced to firebomb us shows they
have no legitimate way to move us and only makes us more determined to
stay. This kind of attack justifies why the embassy needs to be
here. Aboriginal people are under constant attack, there is still a
genocidal war going on,” stated Arinya Freeman who has been subjected to
all three attacks on the embassy. “They have no legitimate way to
get rid of the embassy so they have been reduced to violent attacks”
affirmed Gandra Penola resident of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.
“This is the third time in the last year the embassy has been fire
bombed, when is there going to be a full investigation”.
“This is the third fire bomb here at the embassy, does
someone need to die before these attacks get properly investigated” asked
Enid Freeman of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.
After the first fire-bomb attack July 2003, the embassy applied
under the Freedom of Information Act to obtain copies of the Old Parliament
House security video tapes to assist with investigations. The embassy was
denied access to these tapes, as it would “disclose the footprint of the
surveillance cameras Despite repeated requests to AFP investigating officer Charmane
Quade, The AFP have refused to release their findings from the previous
attacks.”
“There are cameras everywhere and they won’t gives us
the tapes but we are not a security risk, we are peaceful people” Uncle
Neville Chappie Williams, “We are in the face of the government
here, and people motivated by power and greed and the colour of money want to
see the embassy gone.”
“This is an attack within the Parliamentary precinct, if any
other embassy was firebombed there would be serious repercussions. If the
American Embassy was firebombed there would be a state of emergency, but the
Aboriginal Embassy barely gets a mention” stated Terrah Freire resident
of the embassy.
There will be a press conference at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy at
11:00 am Tuesday 17th August 2004 at the Sacred Fire, Aboriginal Tent Embassy,
Lawns Opposite Old Parliament House, Canberra.
For more information contact Neville Chappie Williams:
0416 316 774