Tent Embassies

A group of Indigenous campers on Heirisson Island say the self-declared refugee camp is “for all homeless and displaced person” and not a protest. The camp has been running since Sunday, with a sign declaring the area “Private property of the Djurin Republic”. The group are reportedly also protesting the proposed closure of remote communities in the State’s north. “This is a refugee camp, and it’s dry and peaceful,” one camper Willow said. “It’s for all homeless and displaced persons, we are not protesting or declaring war. [node:read-more:link]

A group of First Nations women have established a 'Sovereign Tent Embassy' at Matargarup (Heirisson Island) WA which also hosts a "Refugee Camp" for their homeless sisters and brothers and for the displaced First Nations people from their Homelands. Elder Maureen Culbong said, "We will stand in even stronger numbers together than even the two years ago where we stood for so long. There are so many issues our peoples face that we need the Embassy as a place of sanctity for all those hurting ... " [node:read-more:link]

The Aboriginal Housing Company posted the trespass signs in February, giving the protesters 72 hours to vacate the property. The protesters rallied to bolster their ranks and were still in their 'tent embassy' more than a week after the deadline passed. Wiradjuri elder Jenny Munro has been camping at the site since May 26 last year, to demand more affordable Aboriginal housing on the land which was purchased by the Aboriginal Housing Company with a federal government grant in the 1970s. [node:read-more:link]

Property investors have been promised a suburb "free of Aboriginals," but protesters in Sydney's most well-known Indigenous community aren't giving in without a fight. According to Munro, occupants of the Redfern Aboriginal Tent Embassy (RATE) were slapped with eviction notices at mid-afternoon, and given a 48-hour window to respond. That means activists must take their case to a court before Sunday afternoon. “He served it knowing we won't be able to access the courts. It's just more filthy politics,” Jenny Munro stated. [node:read-more:link]