Pandemonium in Austrailia

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I suspect the protesters' quarrel was more with the opposition leader, who had been mouthing off against the Tent Embassy and generally disrespecting other Aborigine issues, than with the PM.
 
You know, something strange is happening all over the globe. I understand Egypt, Libya, and other middle eastern countries rebelling, but the row with Prince Charles and Camilla, and now this...well, something just seems to be brewing right under the surface over the entire globe.

I feel bad for Gillard; she looks so scared.

Best-
Herding Cats
 
Herding Cats said:
You know, something strange is happening all over the globe. I understand Egypt, Libya, and other middle eastern countries rebelling, but the row with Prince Charles and Camilla, and now this...well, something just seems to be brewing right under the surface over the entire globe.

I feel bad for Gillard; she looks so scared.

Best-
Herding Cats
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I was just thinking that as I was headed towards this thread. The world seems to be in meltdown
 
Maybe it's the alignment of the stars, but I'd sooner blame a world-wide recession.
 
Being the socialist I am, I'm hoping the rumblings are the beginning of an uprising amongst the marginalized, the working class, the 99%.... Whatever name you want to give all us poor schleps hoping for a better world :). If I were still in my young new agey days, I'd say it was a global "awakening". Now I just think everyone is maybe, finally, pissed off enough to fight for some change.

Ah well, I can still be hopelessly idealistic while pushing 40, can't I? ;)

But on the topic... I can't blame the Indigenous peoples of the world for being angry. There have been so many wrongs done, over so many years, against them. I do have sympathy for those who feel threatened too, though. I want change, but any hint of violence is a big turn off for me.

I think the best that the PM and opposition leader can do is LISTEN, and understand the anger, and find out what the group's grievances and specific goals are. Then work towards solutions. But any remarks or actions that are dismissive probably will be, and definitely should be, met with more anger and more protests. :twocents:
 
Ooohkay, wait a second now. At first I'd only read the articles and saw the still pics. Now that I've seen the video, I'm wondering, where was the threat of violence? Is it just me, or was there no threatening mob? I saw some protestors, and a big crowd of security and police rushing her off, but no menacing? :waitasec:

Is this possibly being overblown? Wouldn't be the first time a minority has been deliberately portrayed badly by the press.
 
MAINSTREAM indigenous leaders have condemned activists from Canberra's Aboriginal tent embassy who led an angry mob to besiege Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott in a nearby restaurant yesterday.

The activists responsible for the melee had targeted the Opposition Leader, accusing him of inciting racial tensions by saying that it was time to "move on" from the embassy, established 40 years ago yesterday as a symbol of the struggle for Aboriginal rights.

Police and the Prime Minister's security detail were forced to escort the two leaders through the crush of 200 protesters outside the Australia Day function at the Lobby restaurant, with Ms Gillard stumbling as she was dragged, ashen-faced, through the angry throng.

The activists were unrepentant last night, vowing to escalate their campaign for the government to sign a treaty with the first Australians.
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more here: The Australian
 
wfgodot said:
Gardenlady said:
Being the socialist I am /QUOTE]

snip-snip

My GOD! There are two of us here?
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Hilarious! I knew there had to be a reason why I was always agreeing with your posts! :floorlaugh:

Its only recently that ive been brave enough to come out of the political closet here on WS... Lots of VERY staunch conservative folks on here. Big hearted ones for the most part, though, which is a nice change from the ones I know in the "real world"!

I'm still scared to go back to the political pavillion, after making my maiden post there on the topic of abortion, of all things! :couch:
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Gardenlady said:
wfgodot said:
Hilarious! I knew there had to be a reason why I was always agreeing with your posts! :floorlaugh:

Its only recently that ive been brave enough to come out of the political closet here on WS... Lots of VERY staunch conservative folks on here. Big hearted ones for the most part, though, which is a nice change from the ones I know in the "real world"!

I'm still scared to go back to the political pavillion, after making my maiden post there on the topic of abortion, of all things! :couch:
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My parents were Republican as the dickens (plus I'm from Kansas) so I'm used to being amongst the conservatives. I avoid the PP because it just raises my blood pressure, lol.
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ok, admittedly, I know nothing about Austrailia's indigeneous people so I have a question ... how close do they live to this place where the protests were?

oh, and in the first pic, I see a guy in a colorful t-shirt with what looks like a really long wooden stick or weapon of some sort ... is it a walking cane? an umbrella? a weapon?? just curious ...
 
Indigenous leader Mick Gooda has condemned the aggressive behaviour of Aboriginal protesters towards Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott at a Canberra restaurant on Australia Day.
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Video @ link:

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8409363/tent-protesters-should-be-ashamed-gooda

Tony Abbott should be ashamed of himself too IMO.

Activists from the tent embassy accused Mr Abbott of inciting racial riots with his earlier comments.

Michael Anderson said the comments were disrespectful.

"He <Tony Abbott> said the Aboriginal embassy had to go, we heard it on a radio broadcast," he told AAP.

"We thought no way, so we circled around the building."

He said the protesters wanted the leaders to clarify their position and whether Mr Abbott was serious about removing the embassy.

"You've got 1000 people here peacefully protesting and to make a statement about tearing down the embassy - it's just madness on the part of Tony Abbott," Mr Anderson said.

"What he said amounts to inciting racial riots."
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http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8409305/julia-gillard-dragged-from-angry-mob
 
LadyL said:
ok, admittedly, I know nothing about Austrailia's indigeneous people so I have a question ... how close do they live to this place where the protests were?

oh, and in the first pic, I see a guy in a colorful t-shirt with what looks like a really long wooden stick or weapon of some sort ... is it a walking cane? an umbrella? a weapon?? just curious ...
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He's wearing an aboriginal flag tee. It sure doesn't look like an umberella walking stick, didgeridoo or a rainstick....more likely a weapon to protect himself from the po-po. (jmo)

All seriousness aside.....how funny is this?
(Eta- that they were going to auction it off on ebay)

IT'S the pretty memento from one of the ugliest moments in Australian politics.

Julia Gillard's blue size 36 Midas glorify shoe was going to be auctioned on eBay to raise funds for the Aboriginal tent embassy after it slipped off the Prime Minister's foot during yesterday's dramatic restaurant escape in Canberra.

But now it seems protesters want to return it.

The newly established Aboriginal advocacy group says it wants to return Prime Minister Julia Gillard's shoe after she lost it while running a gauntlet of protesters in Canberra on Australia Day.
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http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...lue-shoe-on-ebay/story-e6freuy9-1226254741602
 
Laughing in spite of myself. Hated to see PM JG get jostled, as women should not be jostled (old skool opinion - born in the '50s).
 
I noticed she lost a shoe ... the people yanking her forward seemed, um very aggressive

I bet she has few bruises crop up in the next day or so
 
LadyL said:
ok, admittedly, I know nothing about Austrailia's indigeneous people so I have a question ... how close do they live to this place where the protests were?

oh, and in the first pic, I see a guy in a colorful t-shirt with what looks like a really long wooden stick or weapon of some sort ... is it a walking cane? an umbrella? a weapon?? just curious ...
Click to expand...

The guy surrounded by people running? The one with a staff hanging limply at his side as he appeared to walk past the running white people? I doubt it was a weapon. The main weapons they would have would be spears and boomerangs. It was likely a walking stick.

My mom lived in Western Australia for 7 years after WWII. It was mostly bush then. She saw first hand how the "blacks" were treated. Aborigines could not come into Perth unless they had a work permit and even then, only in specific areas. And the history of their treatment is much worse than what my mom was aware of.

Much like the Native Americans here, Aborigines were massacred, devastated by disease brought by immigrants, the children were stolen from their parents and put into institutions where they were punished if they spoke their language and, of course, their land was taken from them.

When you do that to a people, you seriously damage them in ways that stretch across generations. I don't think Australia has made up for what was done to the indigenous people there. I don't blame them for being angry.

But I saw the tape. I saw some people banging on windows and yelling "shame" and one lady running up to a car as the officials were whisked away. The rest of it was a bunch of scared white people, running from themselves and screaming at each other, IMO.
 
Gardenlady said:
Ooohkay, wait a second now. At first I'd only read the articles and saw the still pics. Now that I've seen the video, I'm wondering, where was the threat of violence? Is it just me, or was there no threatening mob? I saw some protestors, and a big crowd of security and police rushing her off, but no menacing? :waitasec:

Is this possibly being overblown? Wouldn't be the first time a minority has been deliberately portrayed badly by the press.
Click to expand...

That's what it seemed like from the video. Hysterics of people scared by a dark-skinned "mob". Kind of just seemed like a lively protest to me.
 
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