Over the first weekend of June, a slew of protests unfurled across Australia in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S. and in protest of the systemic suffering of First Nations people at the hands of Australian police. The protests have forced Australia to take a moment to reflect and ruminate on our dark history.
On Sunday, June 7th, a troupe of anti-racism protestors in Bristol pulled down the statue of Edward Colston — a 17th Century slave trader— and dumped the bronze immortalisation of the human stain in the deep waters of a harbour.
This action sparked protestors across the world to reflect on the sordid, colonial history of their respective countries. The action of removing the statue of Edward Colston has had a ripple effect, with many civilians and government officials calling for a removal of slave traders and colonists monuments.
Widespread calls to remove monuments honouring colonisers in Australia have permeated through social media. There are specific demands to remove the statues of Lachlan Macquarie in Sydney, Captain James Cook in Sydney and Perth, and premier Charles Cameron Kingston —who spearheaded the White Australia Policy— in Adelaide’s Victoria Square.
Adnyamathanha and Ngarrindjeri archaeologist Jacinta Koolmatrie took to Twitter to share a photo of the statue of Charles writing: “Anyone else been thinking about which statues in their city would be targeted after seeing so many taken down? I have.”
She continued, “Charles Cameron Kingston would likely be one of them in Adelaide. He was considered ‘the originator of the White Australia policy’.”
Anyone else been thinking about which statues in their city would be targeted after seeing so many taken down? I have.
Charles Cameron Kingston would likely be one of them in Adelaide. He was considered "…the originator of the White Australia policy. " pic.twitter.com/KuKDwps46x
— Jacinta Koolmatrie (@JKoolmatrie) June 8, 2020
Many people have argued against the removal of racist statues, claiming that they are an important part of history. I can almost guarantee that these people do nae give a single shite about history and are using it as a thinly-veiled guise for their own personal prejudice.
Removing these statues is imperative. It is important that history remembers men like Macquarie, Cook, and Brisbane, but in a way that refrains from celebrating them. They were awful figureheads, involved in the massacres and oppression of First Nations people and should be remembered as such.
Today, Prime Minister Scott Morison responded to protestors that have torn down statues of historical figures, condemning Black Lives Matter as a movement that has been “taken over by much more politically driven left-wing agendas”.
“Well, when you’re talking about Captain James Cook, in his time he was one of the most enlightened persons on these issues you could imagine,” Mr Morrison told 2GB.
“I mean, Australia when it was founded as a settlement, as New South Wales, was on the basis that there’d be no slavery. And while slave ships continued to travel around the world, when Australia was established yes, sure, it was a pretty brutal settlement.
“My forefathers and foremothers were on the First and Second Fleets. It was a pretty brutal place, but there was no slavery in Australia.”
“We’ve got to be honest about our history, we’ve also got to respect our history as well,” he said of the destruction of Colonial statues. “This is not a licence for people to go nuts on this stuff.”
Morrison also accused protestors of setting back Australia’s progress to lift coronavirus restrictions.
“Certainly any further action on this front would be absolutely unacceptable,” he said. “The double standards that [protesters] allowed themselves to perpetrate by turning up has offended, rightly I think, Australians right across the country.
“The way that it was done and the suggestion that they might do it again risks public support for even the issue they raise.”
Scott Morrison bruz if you’re comfortable leading a country that is more concerned with being able to sink mid-strength piss at the footy than a country that values its First Nations people and black lives, you’re a fucking spineless wretch.
Fuck Scott Morrison, decapitate the statues, throw them in the river, do whatever you want.
