Silence is betrayal

ON THE BACK OF US PROTESTS, AUSTRALIA’S OWN RACIST HISTORY HAS AGAIN BEEN THRUST INTO THE SPOTLIGHT

- Nikita Lee

Marching their way through Australian cities last week, thousands of protesters showed their support for the Black Lives Matter movement that is taking over the US in the wake of George Floyd’s wrongful death by police. But they were also marching against systemic racism in Australia – something millions have ignored, or failed to take significant action against, for years.

“This isn’t just an American issue, this is a black people issue, and Indigenous people fit into that category,” Perth activist Tanesha Bennell told Today.

When video of an Indigenous teen being kicked to the ground and pinned down by police in Sydney came to light last week, many saw the incident for what it represented: a continued disregard for Indigenous rights and lives, even after the historic national apology in 2008 for the shameful treatment of the First Nations people and the Stolen Generation.

The incident sparked an official inquiry, and while the 16-year-old involved could be heard telling the officer, “I’ll crack ya f--king jaw bro”, his sister told reporters that the “excessive force was unnecessary”.