By Philippa Stanford
BRISBANE — Representatives of the Irish, Palestinian and Australian Aboriginal movements spoke on October 31 at Brisbane's political infotainment night "Green It Up".
For Gerard McGuigan, leader of the nine-member Sinn Fein caucus in the 51 member North Belfast city council, it culminated the Brisbane leg of his successful tour. His message calling for talks to end British occupation of Ireland was heard by many solidarity activists, trade unionists and students.
All three representatives spoke of the worldwide alienation of indigenous people and their struggles for self-determination and rights over land, language and cultural history.
Bob Weatherall from Foundation of Aboriginal and Islander Research Association welcomed everyone to Aboriginal country. "We have never ceded or sold our sovereignty or rights to this land", he said. The Australian Aborigines are the most imprisoned people in the world. They are still fighting back after 200 years of attempted cultural genocide and at present face the problem of not having access to their own sacred land and sites. Without a permit, it is illegal for Aboriginal people to hunt on or visit their land.
"Like the Aborigines of Australia, the Palestinians also face a battle for rights to their country", said Hassan Abdalla, a Palestinian activist. Palestine is still occupied territory and the Palestinian people are still displaced, with no citizenship rights.
McGuigan spoke of the similarities between the cultural genocide enforced on the original inhabitants of Ireland, Australia and Palestine. He emphasised the need for solidarity and links between all struggles and ended with this paraphrase of the famous words of the anti-Nazi fighter, Pastor Martin Niemäller:
When they came to arrest the Aborigines
I didn't protest because I was not Aboriginal
When they came to arrest the Irish
I didn't protest because I was not Irish
When they came to arrest the lesbians and gay men
I didn't protest because I was not gay
When they came to arrest the Palestinians
I didn't protest because I was not Palestinian
When they came for me
there was no one left to fight back.
McGuigan also addressed a crowd of some 80 people at a public meeting on October 29. He spoke to more than 50 people at meeting of the University of Queensland Resistance club on October 30. He was interviewed on ABC radio and spoke to unions and community groups.