Aboriginal Death Causes Riot In Sydney

Seeing as there's quite a few Aussie members on ATS, this seems pertenant.

The death of a 17 year old aborigine, Thomas Hickey, in the suburb of Redfern in Sydney, on Saturday night has lead to a riot on Sunday night in which some 30-50 police have claimed to be injured. The cause of the conflict, beyond the bare details in the mainstream media of this boys death, lie in the over-policing and institutional racism against aborigines, being debated on Sydney and Melbourne Indymedias, and particularly applied in Redfern over an extended period of time.

Read more here: www.indymedia.org...

I didnt know about the oppression facing aborigines in Australia untill now, any members have more insite?

I live in the Melbourne suburbs and I'll see an aborigine maybe once every 6 months, very rarely at any rate. You see more in the city, often drunk, asking for money or just hanging. In the country and more distant places is wear they usually live, on welfare. This is the sad reality.

The situation is quite complicated, you�d have to live here to understand it.

They were not treated fairly in the past, at all. In 50�s I think, the government would take the children away from the families and foster them into white families, against their will. I think we call them the stolen generation.

It is near impossible for an aborigine to succeed in a white mans world, it�s harsh but this is how it is.

I wish it were different, but the world is often a very unfair place.

Originally posted by StationsCreation
distant places is wear they usually live, on welfare. This is the sad reality.


It is near impossible for an aborigine to succeed in a white mans world, it�s harsh but this is how it is.

Much like many blacks in America.

[Edited on 18-2-2004 by Tetsuo-51]

Originally posted by StationsCreation
I live in the Melbourne suburbs and I'll see an aborigine maybe once every 6 months, very rarely at any rate. You see more in the city, often drunk, asking for money or just hanging. In the country and more distant places is wear they usually live, on welfare. This is the sad reality.

The situation is quite complicated, you�d have to live here to understand it.

They were not treated fairly in the past, at all. In 50�s I think, the government would take the children away from the families and foster them into white families, against their will. I think we call them the stolen generation.

It is near impossible for an aborigine to succeed in a white mans world, it�s harsh but this is how it is.

I wish it were different, but the world is often a very unfair place.

This is the same exact situation in Canada, although Aboriginals get much more respect here. Aboriginals in Canada have an "Indian Status Card" that allows them to get free drug coverage prescribed by doctors and health professionals. But, there is still indications of racism in Canada against Aboriginals.

Aboriginals had their children taken away from them against their will and placed in residential school, where they were being assimilated, but at the same time they were abused physically and emotionally by priest and nuns.

There are many standoffs between Aboriginal reservations in this country with the Government such as the police and the military. Some cops here were recorded as saying racist comments against Aboriginal people.

It doesn't matter what country it is, Aboriginals have had a tough history with Europeanism.