By James K. Attaglo Wilson
Thousands of First Nations people are planning to use the 2018 Commonwealth Games or ‘Stolenwealth’ Games as they have labelled it as a conduit to stage a mass demonstration to promote indigenous rights and welfare.
According to the organizer – Ruby Wharton, the protest is about honoring her family’s legacy:
“They were threatened with weapons, they were beaten black and blue and they were thrown into a paddywagon because of their refusal to end that fight,” she told 98.9 FM
“It just makes you want to get locked.
This is not the first time that the indigenous group Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance [WAR] have held a demonstration having done same in the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane.
Bo Spearin of the Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance added his voice, emphasizing that things like flag-burning could occur.
“Yeah of course those things will happen. We do those things to capture the public [imagination] which doesn’t look at us any other time of the week.”
He, however, took offence to a suggestion that the protest could turn into voilence:
“We’ve never been violent over the last 230 years. We’ve always been from a standpoint of defending.”
Meanwhile, chairman of the Commonwealth Games [Peter Beattie] did not panic about the demonstration saying that people have the right to protest.
“People have the right to protest,” he said.
“Whether it helps their case, I’ll let Australians make a judgement about it.”
Sports24ghana.com
