In short:
Police are investigating a vandalism attack on 20 bronze statues of Australian prime ministers in Ballarat.
The heads from the busts of former Labor leaders Kevin Rudd and Paul Keating were severed and stolen.
What’s next?
The sculptor who created the busts says plaster moulds are available to recreate the statues.
Fuck it, everyday is Australia day. I’m letting my boss know I’m not coming in tomorrow
Prime ministers’ heads severed and stolen…
🤩
… from bronze statues in Ballarat
😒
I get it, I do. But this is only going to be used by Dutton and his ilk to further divide us at this upcoming election. 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️
Interesting, judging by who was taken, and the words, “the commonwealth will fall” sounds like maybe sov cits?
Definitely not. Invasion day is tomorrow, and the term “the colony/commonwealth will fall” is used by first nations activists. Recall back to last year when the Captain Cook statue was toppled in St. Kilda.
Yeah, maybe if it was the words on its own, but also knocking off Rudds head? That doesn’t make much sense.
My first thought was aussie day related, but Rudd is a PM who actually did something meaningful, symbolic, but still meaningful.
Many indigenous activists consider the national apology to be an entirely empty gesture.
but also knocking off Rudds head? That doesn’t make much sense.
We are talking about the sort of people who both think vandalism like this will reflect well upon their cause and continue to attack a statue of Cook around Australia Day when there’s a much more relevant statue of Arthur Phillip just a bit further down the road. I think you’re giving them too much credit to expect they’d differentiate Rudd for doing the National Apology.
Yeah, i don’t understand that. Pretty sure Phillip was the terra nulious proponent, so it boggles the mind why you’d go after a Cook statue before the Phillip statue if you’re indigenous Australian. Which means you’re probably right.
I really think that your and @[email protected]’s have some really outdated beliefs here. At what point, after trying “respectably” to have their voices heard, are indigenous mob supposed to rise up?
As well, do you even know about your own history, and the history of this so-called country? Invasion Day celebrates the anniversary of Cook’s invasion of these lands. That is why his statues have been targeted around this date, because that is what is being celebrated on this day.
As a trans woman, I am always going to stand in solidarity with other minority groups. Always was, always will be.
do you even know about your own history, and the history of this so-called country? Invasion Day celebrates the anniversary of Cook’s invasion of these lands.
My irony meter just overloaded…
You’re right, I messed that one up, but honestly who actually cares? I certainly don’t.
Why not have a day that we can all celebrate?
Not outdated, just different to yours.
Its not useful to the vandals cause, whether sov-cits or Indigenous Australians, i’ve assumed its the latter in the rest of this comment.
I want to underline that i think there’s a place in Nation State democracies for civil disobedience, and violence as well to be used, just not in this case.
For the indigenous cause against aussie/invasion day its not the best way forward. You just create culture war fodder for powerful cunts to divide the nation with, especially in times of political stress.
The arguments that have taken this day from a July 4th-esque euphoric celebratory day to a quieter celebration are the civil arguments about the divisiveness about the date. It attacks the concept, not people, and thats something everybody can engage with, not become defensive against.
To boot, this argument is winning, every year Australia day comes round theres less flags, theres less parties, theres less of a thing made about the day.
As an example look at Dutton’s red meat to the base, ‘i won’t stand in front of a flag, mate!’, in the lead up to today. Didn’t exactly set the world on fire, it was pathetic and shallow.
