Julia Gillard attacked by Protesters on Australia Day

Protesters trap Gillard and Abbott
About 200 protesters trapped Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott in a Canberra restaurant before police arrived to clear a passage for the pair.

The protesters, from the nearby Aboriginal tent embassy, banged on the three glass sides of The Lobby restaurant chanting "shame" and "racist".

Ms Gillard and Mr Abbott had just spoken at a ceremony for the inaugural national emergency medals.

At least 50 police, including the riot squad, were called to the scene shortly after 2.30pm (AEDT).

The two leaders, protected by police and security officers, escaped out a side door after about 20 minutes.

The Prime Minister stumbled as she was rushed to an awaiting vehicle, lost a shoe in the chaos and was helped up by police who were confronted by the protesters.

There had been false reports that the Prime Minister had been tackled. Ms Gillard's office confirmed she slipped as she was leaving the building.

Protesters chased their car down the road, banging on its roof and bonnet. Police formed a cordon across the road to let the vehicle get away while eight indigenous women sat on the road facing them.

The embassy is celebrating a 40-year milestone with a three-day "Corroboree for Sovereignty" with thousands of indigenous Australians travelling to Canberra for the occasion.

Tensions boiled over on Thursday afternoon following comments Mr Abbott made in Sydney earlier in the day.

Mr Abbott said he understood why the tent embassy was set up "all those years ago".

"I think a lot has changed for the better since then," he told reporters.

"I think the indigenous people of Australia can be very proud of the respect in which they are held by every Australian.

"I think a lot has changed since then, and I think it probably is time to move on from that."

For many Aboriginal people Australia Day is considered Invasion Day.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Prime
• Minister
• Julia
• Gillard
• Trapped
• Protesters
• Aboriginal
• Aborigines
• Australia
• Day
• Invasion
• Tony
• Abbott

[LordAkira]

@wangerang Alot of them are part of the 'stolen generation' or children of. As a result, their skin pigmentation and color is not as dark as someone who has a total aboriginal heritage.

[wangerang]

How the fuck is that bloke an Aboriginal Elder if he's not even black? Halfcasts need to realise they cant just sit on the fence and have the best of both worlds. If you want to be a blackfella go grab a nulla nulla and hunt a kangaroo dont take taxpayers money and spend it on grog and gunja and still ask the government for more.

[HangMartinBryant]

@Dibby59 Some Aboriginals were murdered yes , nowhere near the millions killed during ww2 by the invading Japanese and German Armies . And then in the Allied response aswell ...

and that was only 60 odd years ago , we have forgiven them .and do not blame the current generation of those countries for wars and crimes committed during WW1 and WW2

Yet SOME aboriginals still want to blame white Australia for crimes committed hundreds of years ago . i'm not guilty , ive committed no crime

[HangMartinBryant]

@Dibby59 where and when has anyone said they should forget about their history or the colonization of Australia ?

Aboriginals are part of the history of Australia , just like white people , other recent Australian immigrants , the world wars ect ect ...its all a part of the history of the nation and should not be forgotten .

But just like the rest of the world has forgiven Japan and Germany for killing millions of people , we do not blame the current generation japanese / germans

[tongarigine]

@Dibby59

[Dibby59]

@HangMartinBryant No thats what you want, people don't just forget because you want them to move forward, when the issues have not been resolved, the mob on TV have been alienated, but you don't throw a blanket over an entire race because of a few, most logical & stable people would see through it, the boatpeople saga was brought up because of all the whinging I personally hear & read about, yet this is what the Aborigines are told over & over again to get over their history of invasion.

[Dibby59]

LOLOL, yes you were going off track, where was it said that the flag had to be changed, stop being difficult, where is the evidence the PM was mobbed, I'm still yet to see it, upload after upload, still nothing, were they not wanting Abbott, what has that to do with Gillard, of course they've been condemned by the elders, I think the same, it was all misguided, so whats your point.

[HangMartinBryant]

@Dibby59 and they have actually now aliented themselves even further from many more Australians , all by their own actions .

they are just one part of a very large australia , we should celebrate and march forward as a country instead of breaking into different groups with flags for each and grudges against current generation australians for what happend hundreds of years ago we have all aknowledged the past it can't be changed , nor is it current aussies fault .

2012 time to move on

[HangMartinBryant]

@Dibby59 your saying im going off track ?

Your the one who brought up boat people ect , and now how their culture goes back thousands of years , if i was in a plane / train crash in the desert they would be the first to help me blah blah blah

Those things while mostly true are off topic .

that doesnt give a green light to mob the PM and burn and spit on the national flag like a oack of scumbags either.

Their own aboriginal elders have condemned these particular aboriginals actions

[Dibby59]

@HangMartinBryant Sorry I didn't see this till the last minute. "its become more racist than I've ever remembered on all fronts '"

Does that acknowlege the racist attitudes and behaviour of SOME aboriginals ?

or only ever whites and ' non aboriginals '

I acknowledge both sides, but in saying that, the facts are Aborigines were slaughtered & that is something in their history books, yes I've seen both sides, but seriously have a look round Youtube as an example, like the moron mrmadicbm.