Rally and march highlight new Stolen Generation in Queensland and gain father his grieving rights

Brisbane Sovereign Embassy, Musgrave Park 2nd May 2012
Indymedia 3rd May 2012

Aboriginal people and their supporters held a rally and march in Brisbane on Wednesday 2nd May to highlight the continued genocidal practice of removing large numbers of Aboriginal children from their families and their culture.

Just last year 13,433 Aboriginal kids were taken in Queensland. In last couple of weeks a thirteen year old girl was killed after being chased by police because she was trying to get back to her family and a 3 year old boy was fatally run over by a truck, both after being removed from their homes, kids that would still be alive today if they hadn't been stolen.

At today's rally in Roma Street Forum fathers, mothers, grandparents and other relatives took to the microphone to tell of the pain and suffering these removals cause and the ridiculous and degrading hoops that Child Safety Services put Aboriginal families through. As many speakers said, nothing has changed since the days of the Aborigine Protection Act.

The rally then marched through the central business district of Brisbane with chants and speeches, many people applauded the stand being taken by the march and some even joined the march that ended at the building which houses the office of the Director General of the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services.

The Queensland Government decided to lock down their George Street building, with police blocking all the doors, rather than let a delegation of Aboriginal people inside to present a petition of their grievances to a representative of Child Safety Services. The Department wouldn't even send one of their staff down to collect the petition, instead they sent a security guard out to say no one will take your petition, so you might as well leave.

The petitioners and those gathered in support quickly decided to tell the security guard to let Child Safety Services know that they were not going anywhere until someone came down and accepted the petition. They waited with speeches and song on the doorstep of the locked-down building and after 3 hours Child Safety Services relented and allowed two people to come in and present the petition to their Chief of Staff, Michael Read.

The father of the 13 year old girl who was killed, Glen Guboo Gray, presented the petition. This not only allowed him to face the people responsible for his daughter's death but he has now been granted a proper meeting to ask questions of Child Safety Services about her death.

This rally and its small victory is only the beginning. These problems will only intensify with the rolling out of income management and other draconian measures in suburbs like Woodridge and Logan on July 1. The battle to stop the Government assaults on Aboriginal children and culture and to prevent another Stolen Generation is on.

Photos of the day can be viewed at