Foreign Correspondence

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Third fire bomb attack at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy
by aboriginal tent embassy 3:14am Tue Aug 17 '04 (Modified on 11:17am Fri Aug 20 '04) article#44840
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In a major policy shift last year that brings Australia more in line with the strategy of the United States; Australia has abandoned its hands-off policy of the past 30 years, sending troops to end lawlessness in the Solomon Islands and has agreed to send police to crime-infested Papua New Guinea

As Australia decides to end decades of non-intervention in its South Pacific, at home they continue to deny the Aboriginal people sovereignty. The Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are the Indigenous Peoples of Australia.

The 'Dream People' deserve much more than just a mention.

-Am



The Aboriginal Tent Embassy has been subject to the third firebomb in the last 12 months. Despite this desperate attack on the Aboriginal Tent Embassy residents are digging in to stay on and fight for Aboriginal Sovereignty.

Media Release 17th August 2004
Third firebomb attack at the 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 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 Make a quick comment on this a

http://sydney.indymedia.org/archive/features/2004/08/2004-08.html#10212