http://www.theage.com.au/national/austr ... 1qjt1.html
So, that went well.
Australia Day shame
INDIGENOUS leaders have promised more protests in the wake of a fiery clash between demonstrators and police that trapped Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott in a Canberra restaurant before they were dragged to safety and bundled into waiting cars.
The protest was sparked by comments made by Mr Abbott about ''moving on'' the Aboriginal tent embassy, which celebrated its 40th anniversary yesterday.
There were violent scenes outside the Lobby Restaurant several hundred metres from Parliament House - where Ms Gillard and Mr Abbott were presenting the inaugural National Emergency Medals - after at least 200 people from the nearby Aboriginal tent embassy surrounded the building for more than 20 minutes.
The situation was so volatile that Ms Gillard's federal police escort decided to rush the Prime Minister from the event, and after she stumbled they dragged her from the restaurant to a waiting car.
There were violent clashes between the 50 police - including the ACT police riot squad brandishing batons and plastic shields - and the angry crowd, amid chants of ''Shame'', ''Racist'' and ''Always was, will be, Aboriginal land'' and protesters banging on the glass walls.
As the Prime Minister presented the last of the 26 emergency services workers with their medals, a woman in traditional Aboriginal body paint wrested a side door open and threw a handful of rose petals inside, shouting abuse at the nation's leaders.
A conversation between Ms Gillard and her security detail was caught by Nine Network cameras, with the Prime Minister's bodyguards concerned the glass walls would collapse under the weight of protesters' banging.
''We feel that the situation is deteriorating and can't stay much longer,'' a member of Ms Gillard's security team said.
The protesters had reacted to reports of Mr Abbott's response to a question at the Sydney Opera House yesterday morning about the tent embassy's 40th anniversary, which coincides with Australia Day.
When asked if the tent embassy was ''still relevant or should it move'', Mr Abbott said: ''I think the indigenous people of Australia can be very proud of the respect in which they are held by every Australian and, yes, I think a lot has changed since then and I think it probably is time to move on from that.''
His comment was replayed on television and was heard by the 1000 people who had gathered at the tent embassy to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
The chairman of the Northern Basin Aboriginal Nations, Fred Hooper, said: ''We were peacefully celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Aboriginal tent embassy. The Opposition Leader on national television made a comment to tear down something that [we] have built over 40 years, which is sacred to us.
''So what do you expect us to do when we are 200 yards away from the person that makes that comment? Do you expect us to say, 'Yeah, Tony, we're gonna do that now. We're gonna rip it down.' ''
However, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Mick Gooda, said he was appalled at the level of disrespect and aggression shown towards Ms Gillard and Mr Abbott.
"An aggressive, divisive and frightening protest such as this has no place in debates about the affairs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples or in any circumstances," Commissioner Gooda said.
"While we need to acknowledge that there's a real anger, frustration and hurt that exists in some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities around Australia, we must not give in to aggressive and disrespectful actions ourselves.''
Several of the embassy's leaders, including Sean Gordon from the Darkinjung Aboriginal Land Council in north-west New South Wales, said they planned to protest again on Saturday and in the future for Aboriginal rights.
''There will be more protests on this. You can be sure this will go on for some time,'' Mr Gordon said.
''Abbott has started this [and] we're going to keep the fight going. We are standing up here and we are not going away.
''To come here on the 40th anniversary to say these things. What does he expect? We are not going to go away. We will not forget this … Our people are dying of depression, of the grog, and we have this bloke talking about tearing us down, taking us away. Well, we are not going to go away. There will be more.''
At an event at The Lodge several hours later, Ms Gillard said she had not been injured during the protest.
''The only thing that angers me is that it distracted from such a wonderful event with great people from the emergency services,'' she said.
Mr Abbott, Minister for Indigenous Affairs Jenny Macklin and opposition indigenous affairs spokesman Nigel Scullion were not willing to comment last night.
At the tent embassy after the violence there was both frivolity and outrage.
After Ms Gillard was bundled into a waiting car and whisked away, a protester displayed one of Ms Gillard's blue high-heel shoes, which had fallen off during her hasty exit, and shouted: ''Gingerella, come get your shoe!''
