Indigenous people will protest on QEII’s National Day of Mourning

On the National Day of Mourning for Queen Elizabeth II, a demonstration in support of indigenous people will take place.

On September 22, Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance, a group with more than 60,000 Facebook fans, will march through Brisbane to protest historical injustices and the legacy of British colonialism in Australia.

“This is a position against the ongoing atrocities against marginalised Asian, Black, and First Nations groups. We want justice, the truth, and everyone’s responsibility; we do not support benefactors or Stolenwealth (sic). Justice for everyone, the organisation said.

On September 8, Queen Elizabeth passed away at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

Some Indigenous elders claim that although fans have praised her 70-year rule, the British monarchy has a brutal past.

Sandy O’Sullivan, a Wiradjuri woman and lecturer at Macquarie University, said they faced bigotry as a result of their refusal to observe the Queen’s reign.

Along with many other Aboriginal people, they said, they encountered a lot of bigotry and mockery when they mentioned the fact that we weren’t honouring Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.

“For many, it’s because there wasn’t much she did throughout that reign to repair that connection, make amends, and speak up,” the author writes.

Jo Rey, a research fellow at Macquarie University and a member of the Dharug community, questioned the monarchy’s viability.

“While the Queen is no longer alive, colonialism is still very much alive and thriving, existing in every bureaucracy.” The monarchy’s future is uncertain. The destiny of the planet is more crucial, according to Dr. Rey.

The proclamation ceremony for King Charles III in Edinburgh, according to Aunty Geraldine Atkinson, co-chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria and a Bangerang and Wiradjuri elder, was tone deaf.

“It’s hard to stomach millions of dollars being spent on this type of pomp and ceremony while our people are still dying behind bars due to discriminatory laws and the apathy of politicians who have disregarded innumerable cries for change,” she added.

However, some Indigenous supporters of the Queen paid homage, notably Warren Mundine, a former head of the Indigenous Advisory Council, who criticised the AFL for abandoning plans for a minute of respect during the AFLW’s Indigenous Round.

He said that social and economic inequalities should not be attributed to colonisation.

According to Mr. Mundine in an opinion post for Sky News, “Young Aboriginal people will be damaged by the idea that every difficulty Aboriginal people have now is explained by history’s wrongdoings and traumas of colonisation presumably persisting through current generations.”