Perkins calls Aborigines to protest in Sydney during Games Source: AAP | Published: Sunday May 21, 2:14 PM Aboriginal activist Charles Perkins today encouraged Aborigines from all around Australia to converge on Sydney to protest during the Olympic Games. Mr Perkins said the 2000 Games, to be held in Sydney in September, were the perfect opportunity for Aboriginal people to tell the world about the racist nation Australia had become. "I say to Aboriginal people right around Australia, come to Sydney and protest, let's all protest in a peaceful manner, this is a democracy and let's do it whether it is on the streets or in selected areas and, let's make our opinions and our voices known to the Australian people and to the international press," he told a television program. In April this year, Mr Perkins told the world the Sydney Olympics would erupt in burning cars and burning buildings. He warned tourists not to come to Sydney because it had turned nasty and ugly and the row over the stolen generation would force direct conflict between black and white Australians. "(It's going to be) burn, baby, burn, from now on," he said at the time. "We are not going to lie down like a mongrel dog so people can come along and kick us. We are going to start biting." Today, he said those comments had been taken out of context. "What I was trying to tell people was that when you have about 20,000 to 30,000 people in the streets, Aboriginal people and white people in the streets, protesting about what is happening in this country, and using the Olympic Games and the event to make that protest, anything can happen and maybe cars will get burnt and buildings will get burnt," he said. "I am not advocating that that happens but I am saying it might get out of control. "The fact is you can't guarantee anything when you have big demonstrations." The racist nature of Australia was forcing Aborigines to take action and stand up for themselves, he said. "We all love the Olympic Games and we want it to happen but it is an event and it is an occasion for us to let the people know and we are going to get out into the streets and tell people what a racist, fascist country this is turning out to be," he said. Aborigines planned to set up embassies across Sydney to inform the world of the situation in Australia,' Mr Perkins said. -- ********************************** 'Click' to protect the rainforest: Make the Rainforest Site your homepage! http://www.therainforestsite.com/ ********************************** ------------------------------------------------------ RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." RecOzNet2 is archived for members @ http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznet2%40paradigm4.com.au/
