Games protest 'moving to city centre'
By CLAIRE FOY-SMITH of news.com.au
07aug00
THE protest ban at Olympic Park's Aboriginal
cultural centre would mean large-scale peaceful
demonstrations would shift to the Sydney city
centre, a leading Aborigine predicted today.
Jenny Munro, chairwoman of the Sydney
Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council � which
controls the centre � said there was little point
trying to breach the tight security at
Homebush Bay.
The organisation would focus instead on
targeting the inner city.
Thanks to Prime Minister John Howard, issues such as the Stolen
Generation and
deaths in custody were still unresolved and would form the focus, she
said.
She was commenting today after Sydney's Olympic Games Committee
confirmed
there was a contractual ban with Metro on protests at the centre,
which will sell
Aboriginal arts and crafts. "It is stupid to target Homebush when it's
obvious no
one's going to get out there," she said.
There was "no point to be achieved by going out there and getting
physical with
the security". She likened trying to rally at the site to "hitting
your head up
against a brick wall".
Instead, she predicted, the inner city would be the massing point.
Preparations
were in place and details should be known in about a week.
The fact that Mr Howard could not bring himself to say sorry was
"really just an
indication of how bereft of leadership this country is" and Aborigines
would
demonstrate, she said.
Issues such as the Stolen Generation and deaths in custody would not
go away
while children were still being removed from their parents and the
number of
Aborigines who died in custody had yet to be addressed, she said.
Earlier today centre organisers confirmed details of the deal, which
forbids any
protest speeches, marches or demonstrations on site and at the
cultural centre
and said the ban would be policed.
The centre has been funded by the New South Wales Government and the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission to the tune of
$350,000 each.
The state government and Olympics Minister Michael Knight were
determined the
site should not become a focus for dissent.
The Olympic Coordination Authority also has the right to review the
text of all
material on display in the pavilion.
SOCOG's National Indigenous Advisory Committee chairwoman Dr Lowitja
O'Donoghue said today the centre was solely intended to showcase
Aboriginal arts
and crafts.
"I fully support the position that there be no protest at that
particular site," she
said
"Aboriginal people are free to protest at the games, but not
necessarily on this
site.
"This is a site for showcasing Aboriginal arts and crafts and there
are other
venues for people to do that (protest). I am sure the contract would
indicate
that."
If people tried to demonstrate they would be removed, she said .
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