ALICE SPRINGS, Australia — It would have been the perfect day for a party. Hundreds of people had gathered in this desert town to celebrate the 50th anniversary of an Aboriginal health organization. Children played games and had their faces painted. Food trucks served fried rice and ice cream. Bands began to tune their instruments.
And above it all, on a hill dedicated to fallen soldiers, a cluster of flags fluttered in a cloudless sky. Among them were the blue ensign of Australia and the two banners of its Indigenous peoples.
But as Vincent Forrester took the stage, the Aboriginal elder was angry. He knew the event was supposed to be a celebration, but he was fuming about what had happened less than 24 hours earlier. In a constitutional referendum Saturday, Australia overwhelmingly rejected an Indigenous advisory body, or “Voice,” to Parliament.
“They kicked us in the guts yesterday, so now, stand up,” the 71-year-old exhorted. “We’ve got to show the world that Australia is a racist country.”
Forrester pointed to the hill and swore he’d never go back up there. Nor would he attend Australia’s version of Memorial Day. And he called on Indigenous people to boycott traditional ceremonies — known as “welcomes to country” — and the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.
For the Washington Post Words by Michael E. Miller and Photography by Tamati A. Smith.
