Speech to Chambers

Speech delivered by Councillor Seal Chong Wah, on Council's actions at Barrambin

On Friday the 29th of May, this Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, through the chair, directed council officers and around 155 police intimidated and imposed violence and aggression on Aboriginal people and non-Aboriginal allies. 

I was there on the frontline standing with Aboriginal people being pushed around and roughly handled. Seeing this unfold around me was devastating.

This act was carried out on sacred Aboriginal heritage listed land on National Aboriginal Reconciliation week. This is highly offensive and a deeply racist act of aggression and violent colonisation.

This reflects a long line of oppression and forced assimilation against Aboriginal people. This oppression and violence has been going on for over 200 years. And it's still going!

Lord Mayor Schrinner, through the chair, your decision to move members of the Goori Camp Embassy led to police to use excessive force to intimidate and threaten violence against Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. The police were there to support council. This is the colonial mind! 

While, Aboriginal people are practicing their cultural L-O-R-E lore. While resisting forcible assimilation and oppression. The police used force, power and might. That’s how the government has taken the land off Aboriginal people.

This LNP Administration is continuing the dark history.

On Nation Sorry Day intimidation tactics were used. Diggers entered Victoria Park / Barrambin. This is highly offensive! This day is to commemorate the stolen generation survivors and reflects on the impacts of their removal.  

I refer back to Friday, an Aboriginal mum nearly lost her heart as her daughter was taken brutally, ugly with no reason by police. Stolen! 

This is how this LNP administration truly operates! These acts of intimidation and aggression on National Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week. 

Boomerangs were smashed. I actually found a piece of boomerang on the ground on the Sunday! Shame!!! 

I was told, the sacred fire on crown land, at Musgrave Park, that Graham Quirk approved a sacred fire with a gazebo shelter. So the fire keeper could be comfortable. So have a think about that! 

The world is waking up to this brutal ongoing injustice of the Aboriginal People! People aggressively forced to the ground or manhandled causing injuries and bruising. 

Seven News led its main news bulletin with these words “These are the pictures which will be as memorable as the moment Brisbane won the 2032 games.”  

The media images now defining Brisbane’s Olympic legacy are not images of pride, unity or celebration. They are images of police officers, using blunt, excessive force to trash Aboriginal ceremony - while protecting their sacred land. These media stories are truth telling to what happens to Aboriginal people in this colony.

Images of Aboriginal people being arrested for exercising their human right to practice their culture on sacred country. Under the Human Rights Act section 28 they have the right to practice their cultural L-O-R-E and in ceremony. 

These pictures, being played around Australia and the world, are images of excessive force, and the abuse of government power to inflict vandalism and violence. All incited by the LNP Council administration and the Queensland LNP State Government.

The actions of this LNP administration and this Lord Mayor, Brisbane is now being shown to the world not as a city ready to host the Olympics, but as a city willing to send around 155 police and council officers into a ceremony to violently remove Aboriginal people from sacred land. Imagine if this was done in a church!  This moral outrage has been covered in the United States and throughout Europe, featuring in news media like, German DW News, UK Independent, the Washington Post, Reuters and Italian magazine ‘Internazionale’. It is also spreading across international social media.

The Olympics claims to be a ‘peace movement’ bringing Nations together, while destroying Aboriginal ceremony, over 4000 trees, ancient trees, their tribal systems, and spiritual connections to the water spring and this sacred country. 

This LNP Administration should be celebrating and embracing 80,000 years of the longest living culture in the world!

Aboriginal people are peaceful people by nature. Aboriginal culture practices peace and harmony with nature and the environment, and Aboriginal people coming together!  These acts of aggression and violence on National Sorry Day and National Reconciliation Week exposes the truth! The truth of violence, oppression and dispossession that has been happening for over 200 years to this day. 

A message…..

A life Elder has a wisdom for a park and lives in that park prior to being it being a park. How can you deny their wisdom as an Elder whether an Embassy should be on or not. You can’t abuse that!