Mundine last night attended a protest rally in Redfern where
it was expected he would announce his intentions.
Hundreds of people marched to the Block last night to
protest against the New South Wales Government’s plans to redevelop Redfern.
The Minister for Redfern-Waterloo, Frank Sartor, wants to
reduce the number of houses built there, leaving more room for businesses.
Mundine said Aboriginal people will not be moved from their
homes.
“How would they like it if me and a few boys from the
block went ’round to their place?” he said.
He called Mr Sartor a racist.
“If the block don’t stand, then Sartor, he don’t
stand,” he said.
The Bishop of Gippsland and a former Anglican Minister in
Redfern, John McIntyre, agreed with
Mundine.
“He is saying that by definition, if you get a group of
Aboriginal people living together in a community, by definition they must be
poor, they must be disadvantaged and they must be dysfunctional. Now that is a
racist comment,” he said.
Mundine said nothing of his political plans, telling the ABC
he is still thinking about the decision.
http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200608/s1712525.htm
[REDWatch Note – Concern has been expressed about the way
the ABC has edited Anthony Mundine’s comments in the above story. The editing
makes it appear as if Anthony Mundine has threatened violence against Minister Sartor
and others. The full text of the comments was carried in the AAP reports and also later on the ABC’s World today and was:
“We purchased this land and now they want to try and
come into our home and our place and say what we can and cannot do with it and
kick us out,” Mr Mundine said to a cheering crowd.
“Well how would they like it if me and a few of the
boys from The Block went to their place and there was, say, 10 people in the
house (and) we said ‘Listen, half of youse gotta get out’?
“If the Block don’t stand, then Sartor, you don’t
stand.”]