"Sorry Means You Don't Do It Again"

Protestors, orgainzed by GMAR (Grandmothers Against Removal), took to the streets today on the 9th anniversary of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's apology for the Stolen Generation - the systematic governmental removal of Aboriginal children from their families, part of the Australian project of genocide.
 
Speakers at today's rally pointed out that the removal of Aboriginal children has not only continued, but has seen a rapid increase - up to 400% - since the so-called apology.
 
The protesters chant: "Sorry means you don't do it again!"
 
For more info: https://www.facebook.com/GMARsydneybranch/

Fire Jam - Camperdown Park, Sydney

24/7 Safe Space for Homeless meets at Old Dave's Soul, Coogee

The rough sleepers and the supporters of the 24/7 Street Kitchen and Safe Space for homeless, based at Martin Place, met up at Old Dave's Soul this Monday night. Old Dave's Soul is a night spot, wine bar, live music venue and restaurant based in Coogee. For the past several weeks, this local small business has been donating their gourmet pizzas every Monday night to the 24/7 Safe Space. You can participate in this project by getting along to Old Dave's Soul every Monday - buy one pizza and have one donated to the cause.

https://www.facebook.com/Olddavessoul/?hc_ref=SEARCH

The 24/7 Street Kitchen and Safe Space is located at the top end of Martin Place and is still calling for food and other donations.

https://www.facebook.com/Sydney247StreetKitchenSafeSpace/?fref=ts

*Click on the images for full screen view.

Miller's Point Residents Still Under Threat

 

A series of portraits of public housing tenants who are resisting being moved from their homes at Millers Point by government and developers in Sydney.
The images were taken in 2015-16.
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Homeless 'safe space' returns to Martin Place after Council eviction

Is it possible to evict the homeless? Apparently so, though perhaps not completely.

After the second successive forcible removal from Martin Place by Sydney City Council, the 24/7 Street Kitchen & Safe Space for homeless and rough sleepers in Sydney moved their camp from outside Parliament House back to their established location in Martin Place.

The 24/7 Street Kitchen & Safe Space provides food and security for homeless people, especially for women and was set up on Christmas eve last year. It services hundreds of rough sleepers every day and relies totally on crowd funding and donations.

For more info, go to:

https://www.facebook.com/Sydney247StreetKitchenSafeSpace/?fref=ts


*click on image for full screen view

Homeless 'safe space' evicted as anti-Islam protestors take to Martin Place

Sydney's 24-hour 'safe space' for rough sleepers in Martin Place was dismantled and cleared by Sydney City Council workers and police this morning, leaving hundreds of homeless without services that had been provided since Christmas eve.


In its place, Martin Place gave way to about 200 anti-Islam protestors who paid homage to Donald Trump's presidency and his policies on immigration. Reports suggested  that the homeless were cleared to make way for today's rally for "safety concerns".


As the rally dispersed, the homeless stated that they were determined to 'reclaim' their space and re-establish services to the needy, despite this morning's actions by the Council.


Organizers are calling for immediate donations of food, cooking facilities and other goods.

Go to: https://www.facebook.com/Sydney247StreetKitchenSafeSpace/?pnref=story


*click on image for full screen view

Invasion Day, 2017 - Rally

 

Up to 10,000 Aboriginal activists and supporters marched in Sydney today, on Gadigal land, site of the arrival of British colonialists 229 years ago.
Currently, the 26th of January not only marks the day of invasion and the start of genocide for Aboriginal peoples, but is also perversely celebrated by the wider community as the country's national day, called 'Australia Day'.
The rally began at the Block in Redfern, marched to Central and then to Victoria Park to join the Aboriginal festival, Yabun.
A largely peaceful rally with a higher than expected turnout, the day was marred when police stormed protesters attempting to burn an Australian flag.
 
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Invasion Day, 2107

Police storm protesters attempting to burn an Australian flag, on the 229th anniversary of the British invasion of Gadigal land.
 
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Auriel Andrew Burial Service

Safe Space for Homeless People, Martin Place

A safe space for homeless women and men has been set up in Martin Place, directly across from the Reserve Bank of Australia. The space acts as a resource centre, pop-up kitchen, sleeping place, community centre, education hub and a general support centre for the many hundreds of homeless in Sydney's CBD. These people are at the forefront of budget cuts to social services by all levels of government.

The space is totally crowd funded and is calling for donations of food, bedding, clothes, money and other resources. Go to Sydney Sunday Crew's Facebook page for more information (https://www.facebook.com/SydneySundayCrew/) or drop in at the top end of Martin Place.

*Click through images for full screen view

'Person Of The Year, 2017'

An inversion of Time Magazine's cover of Donald Trump as 'Person of the Year, 2016'.

Here, Lanz Priestley looks directly at the camera on New Year's Day 2017, on location in Martin Place, Sydney, where he has set up a safe place for the city's hundreds of homeless, providing food, shelter, bedding and other resources to women and men who have been left destitute during the summer holidays. 


Lanz says,


"At the 24-7 pop up homeless resource we deal on a daily basis with the fallout from federal state and local governments callous indifference to the needs of people as they bow and prey at the altar of their greedy corporate gods.  Yesterday as well as known homeless and economically stressed Sydney residents we had 15 people through who had been told that Centrelink payments would be through on 24th or 28th and not received them. Others have been victims of other Machiavellian Centrelink / Job Network agent practices. 

"From January 1st 2017 the federal government who steadfastly refuse to pursue the Google's and like foreign corporates who pay much less than their fair share of taxes, will stiffen their pursuit of marginalised people via a new tranche of policies designed to drive fear and intimidation of the most economically marginalised people in Australia. Aged pensioners and disability pensioners join unemployed claimants as victims of the escalating Turnbull Morrison attack on the Australian social contract. This characteristically cowardly attack on those least able to defend themselves needs to be viewed in parallel with their equally gutless intransigence in tackling corporate tax dodging , unconscionable bank conduct and unethical corporate behaviour not to mention cosy corporate government relationships. 
"Just 4 things power this rancid government behaviour. Your silence, your acceptance your cooperation and your fear of consequences. Remember that wrong feasts on the rotting carcase of your inaction and the better world we know is possible will only come with your decisive action. Will 2017 be the year you act decisively?"


The space is located at the top end of Martin Place opposite the Reserve Bank and State Parliament. The organizers are asking for public donations - food, blankets, money and any other useful items.

Akala Plays Newtown Social Club

Akala visiting Sydney performs in Newtown.

International Human Rights Day Rally

Led by Aboriginal organisers and organisations  - FIRE (Fighting In Resistance Equally) - this rally consisted of an amalgam of disparate community groups who marched on International Human Rights day through Sydney's CBD, from Circular Quay to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Speakers called for an overhaul of the criminal justice and foster care systems which sees human rights abuses, particularly against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

*Click through images for full screen view

Scar Trees: Cowra, Wiradjuri Country with Aunty Jenny Munro

I was very privileged to be guided around Cowra by Wiradjuri Elder, Aunty Jenny Munro and shown some of the scar trees that still survive there, despite their ongoing and systematic removal, part of continuing acts of genocide.
Also present was the wholly dedicated lawyer and steadfast Aboriginal supporter, Lisa De Luca.

Rally in Cowra: Justice for Dennis 'DJ' Doolan

Nick Cave - Heard

The British Museum Refuses to Return The Gweagle Shield

Today, the British Museum announced that it would refuse to return the Gweagle Shield, Spears and other artefacts seized in 1770 by Captain Cook's party after they shot, Cooman, a Gweagle man on the shores of what is now known as Botany Bay.

In a statement, a spokesperson said, "The Museum doesn't return objects, in general." As an act of ongoing colonialism, today's announcement is highly symbolic.

Rodney Kelly, a descendent of Cooman, is currently in London to demand the repatriation of these items on cultural, historical and spiritual grounds. In the light of today's announcement by the British Museum, Mr. Kelly is calling on all and any high profile support to assist in his undertaking.

The photograph above was taken of Rodney Kelly at the Australian Parliament last month as the Senate passed a motion supporting his mission to the U.K.

* click on image for full screen view

 

 

National Day of Action - Campbelltown, Sydney

Demonstrators took to the streets in Campbelltown in far western Sydney to protest against ongoing Aboriginal deaths in custody, sky-rocketing incarceration rates for Aboriginal people across Australia and the systematic removal of Aboriginal children from their families.
Also in attendance was esteemed geneticist and biologist Dr. David Suzuki who spoke emotionally about the devastating effects of colonialism on Indigenous peoples across the world, as well as on the global environment.

Dr. David Suzuki Visits Gadigal Country

Dr. David Suzuki, visiting Australia, took time out to be shown around Gadigal country by photographer and Gomeroi woman, Barbara McGrady and IndigiLAB co-founder and Kuku-Yalanji man, Luke Briscoe.
Dr. Suzuki spoke passionately about how much Western environmentalism and science can learn from the vast resources of tens of thousands of years of Indigenous knowledge, both here in Australia and in Canada.