Who gave permission for Rio Tinto to use high explosives to demolish sacred Aboriginal caves in Australia which have been in continuous occupation by humans for 46,000 years, just to extract a little more iron ore?
We thought that ISIS were bad enough, but Rio Tinto's act had nothing to do with ideology.
It makes me feel ill - literally.
It is hard to believe no one figured it out. Turned whistleblower, or something. Sick barely covers it, when I read it in this morning's news.
ReplyDeleteIt's even harder to believe that they had figured it out, but went ahead anyway.
DeleteTheir action seems typical of Australian "big business" and reflects on the way that country still sees the original population of the land, which we colonised in the eighteenth century.
ReplyDeleteBut it has happened elsewhere. Europeans explore a country, then settle into it, then push the old populations into the extreme verges - like the USA and its native Americans
Rio Tinto is a massive global company, but they still need the permission of governments to get licences. Not the locals, just the governments.
DeleteHeads rolled but the deed has been done. Now if it had been Stonehenge?
ReplyDeleteThe sacked/resignees though relieved of their bonus this time around will still get them in the future.
Disrespect for indigenous groups is totally wrong, culture, in what any form it comes should be respected.
They have had to give former head-hunters their heads back. That's where it gets difficult. Should we respect severed head cults?
Deletedon't know whether you watched the recent programme with Miriam Margoyles going round Australia - but the Aborigine settlements said it all Tom. Australia's treatment of its indigenous people is disgraceful.
ReplyDeleteNo, I haven't seen it. I'm not sure I want to really. I crave escapism these days.
DeleteI don't suppose the Aborigines had a piece of paper confirming ownership. I also watched the Mirian Margolyes programmes, which indeed highlighted the disgraceful situation they are in. But then, this is repeated around the world, with other races, where some people seem to be judged less worthy of rights than others.
ReplyDeleteThe days of The East India Company are not over.
DeleteJust awful. I didn't realise that it had gone ahead, knew that people were fighting the plans. Sickening
ReplyDeleteI didn't even know about the quarry expansion plans, let alone the fight against them.
DeleteRio employ many more Aboriginals than any other company. I wonder what they thought about it, the ordinary Aboriginal on the street so to speak.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what they think about the ones that work for Rio Tinto.
DeleteI see you have gone large and wide angle so to speak. Like it.
ReplyDeleteI think that might be your screen Weave. It looks the same to me.
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