1 May 2015 MEDIA RELEASE – WAR to shut down Melbourne city The Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance (WAR) have organised a rally for 1 March 2015 (commencing 4:00pm outside Melbourne Town Hall) that will shut down the Melbourne CBD, in solidarity with Aboriginal communities facing forced closure. The shut down a proud expression of Aboriginal sovereignty and a clear signal to government that our resistance is rising. Thousands will attend the rally, with guest speakers including Marama Fox, co-‐leader of the Maori Party. As part of the rally, we are asking unions, universities and employers to close business at 12:30 pm in solidarity with the Aboriginal communities. As we prepare to shut down the CBD, we watch as state and federal governments dismantle Aboriginal communities in clear defiance of the well expressed will of the people. It is routine in the Australian colonial state for the government to degrade, discriminate against and disrupt Aboriginal people in an ongoing campaign of genocide designed to slowly destroy us. Every so often, the beast of Australian genocide rears its ugly head and displays its colours in full light of day. The forced closure of WA Aboriginal communities is one such moment. These forced closures is indisputably an act of genocide that will have grave consequences for the people forced, under duress, to leave country. It is an act of cultural genocide that will damage vital cultural connections to country. It also signals an impending ecocide, resulting from the mining exploration and aggressive destruction of Aboriginal land that will inevitably ensue. WAR refuses to stand idle and watch this genocide unfold any further. We recognise this brutal government for exactly what it is, and we accept no alternative explanation. We have a strong vision of Aboriginal social and political independence, in which Aboriginal people have the power to decide their own destiny. Under our vision, the Australian government lacks the competence to shut down Aboriginal communities, or to have any say whatsoever in relation to Aboriginal lives. We reject any government attempt to assimilate us into the Australian political mainstream or to do ‘what is best for us’. We do not want to be reconciled with and we do not want to be recognised in a racist and corrupt constitution. We want full and genuine recognition of our un-‐ceded sovereignty and we will not rest until this is achieved. The plight of WA Aboriginal communities is the most recent instance of more than two centuries of government destruction of Aboriginal communities and clearly demonstrates that the only way in which we can protect ourselves from genocide is to fully reject government control over our lives. Over the past year, WAR has witnessed an immense re-‐awakening of Aboriginal political consciousness, driven by the energy of our young people with the support and guidance of our old people. The message is resoundingly clear: Aboriginal people will no longer accept government control or cynical government interventions into their lives.
1 May 2015 Sovereign Hub (#SovHub) After the rally, WAR will lead the march to Sovereign Hub, which will be set up next to the Myer Music Bowl. It will be a two-‐day camp consisting of smoking ceremony, information sessions, panel discussions, children’s activities, music, dance and much more. Sovereign hub aims to share information on our true history, our current affairs and our solutions. Some of the sessions will include genocide, sovereignty, beyond recognition, decolonising lifestyles, WAR – resist and revive, repatriation and decolonising Sovereign Hub pays homage to Camp Sovereignty, a protest camp against the 2006 Stolenwealth Games organised by the Black GST. Sovereign Hub also pays its deepest respect to the repatriated remains of 37 Aboriginal people from around Victoria, this site otherwise known as “kings domain” is the resting place for our forgotten ancestors. If you have any questions about the rally or the Sovereign Hub, contact WAR on 0412 215 838 or warcouncil.media@gmail.com