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Airds Sovereign Embassy was ransacked when left unattended for one hour on Saturday


Tents were torn in half and banners were burnt at the Aboriginal tent embassy at Airds on the weekend.
(Macarthur Chronicle Picture: Robert Pozo)

Kimberley Caines Macarthur Chronicle Campbelltown 10 September 2014

The men at the forefront of the Aboriginal tent embassy at Airds are frustrated their site was destroyed on Saturday night.

(Macarthur Chronicle Picture: Robert Pozo)

A Greens candidate for Campbelltown has described the destruction of the Aboriginal tent embassy in Airds on the weekend as a cowardly, racist attack.

Benjamin Moroney was furious the peaceful environmental protest, set up in Riverside Drive last month, was destroyed by culprits on Saturday night.

It is believed tents were torn in half and banners were burnt.

Regardless of what feelings one may personally have about the group, such actions are completely unacceptable, Mr Moroney said.

I and the Macarthur Greens are disgusted by this cowardly, racist attack.

The tent embassy was established in mid-August by three local indigenous men to highlight their concerns over the protection of land and wildlife in Airds as part of the Airds Bradbury Renewal Project.

The redevelopment project will result in 2000 new homes and aims to create a mix of private and public housing.

The renewal is expected to remove large areas of green space, which is home to native species including koalas.

The banners were burnt and the tents were torn in half. There was an Australian flag left here, Koori Pete, who has asked to be named by his tribal name, said.

It seems there were a lot of kids and a parent here enjoying the festivities.

I think this attack is racially based. I’m just very disappointed because we are doing this for future generations, he said.

We have put another tent up because we are not going anywhere. A couple of kids mucking around is not going to stop us. They’re the reason we’re here.

He said that despite the incident the community was still very supportive of the protest.


Mudgoolagong, Pop and Gungadin at the embassy in mid August, shortly after its establishment
(Image: Macarthur Chronicle - Robert Pozo)