MEDIA RELEASE – WAR rally against forced community closures

10  April  2015  

MEDIA  RELEASE  –  WAR  rally  against  forced  community  closures      

Today,  Melbourne  will  be  shut  down  by  thousands  of  people  expressing  their  outrage  at  federal  and  state  government  plans  to  forcibly  close  Aboriginal  communities.      Warriors  of  the  Aboriginal  Resistance  (WAR)  are  committed  to  resisting  government  attacks  on  our  people,  our  culture  and  our  land.  We  will  never  cease  until  we  are  guaranteed  Aboriginal  social  and  political  independence  and  rid  ourselves  of  the  oppressive  hand  of  government.      The  forced  closure  of  Aboriginal  communities  is  an  affront  against  every  Aboriginal  person  living  on  this  continent.      For  those  living  in  the  communities  designated  as  “unsustainable”,  the  forced  closures  represent  a  genocidal  attack  on  culture  and  connection  to  land  that  constitutes  an  unambiguous  breach  of  fundamental  human  rights  and  basic  notions  of  human  decency.        For  every  other  self-­‐respecting  Aboriginal  person,  the  forced  closures  represent  the  disrespect  and  disregard  that  government  has  for  Aboriginal  people.  The  forced  closures  reinforce  the  message  that  Aboriginal  people  cannot  have  freedom  on  this  continent  until  we  have  self-­‐government.      Rallies  against  forced  closures  have  been  held  across  the  country,  bringing  countless  cities  to  a  standstill,  and  yet  the  government  and  mainstream  media  continues  to  ignore  the  message.  WAR  will  not  let  this  diminish  our  resolve.      WAR  will  continue  to  conduct  escalating  actions  until  the  government  is  forced  to  recognise  the  destruction  it  is  causing  to  Aboriginal  people  on  this  continent  and  recognise  its  incompetence  to  govern  Aboriginal  people.      WAR’s  ultimate  goal  is  to  end  the  colonial  control  of  our  lands  and  lives  and  to  restore  our  tribal  sovereignty.  We  call  on  the  Australian  government  to  cease  violent  domination  of  Aboriginal  lives  and  immediately  stop  all  destruction  of  Aboriginal  people,  land  and  culture  across  this  continent.    Todays  rally  will  be  an  expression  of  our  disgust  with  government  and  a  statement  of  our  continuing  sovereignty.      Time:         4.00pm  Location:       Flinders  Street  Steps,  Melbourne  Victoria      For  comment:       warcouncil.media@gmail.com