Today, Uncle Jim Everett Puralia Meenamatta has been arrested for defending native forests in Lutruwita / Tasmania from logging by the Tasmanian Government’s Forestry Tasmania.
It is not the first time the Palawa Plangermairreenner elder, poet, writer and filmmaker was arrested for defending forests.
He was arrested in the Bradys Lake forests on his 82nd birthday saying his birthday gift to the forests was asserting Palawa law in Country.
“The Palawa have been under colonialism now for 221 years and have never had any agreements with the colonial governments of Australia or Tasmania to become Australian citizens. Colonial Australia has no jurisdiction to arrest me or try me on charges for defending Palawa law in Country and my action is to challenge the lie of assumed citizenship,” said Everett.
“This ongoing destruction of native forests in Lutruwita must stop now. Climate change is bearing down on future human habitation on Earth. It is at a tipping point and government must acknowledge and act accordingly for the safe future of the people of Lutruwita and all people,” said Everett.
He was arrested defending native forests in the Styx Valley on 19 March 2024, refused to attend court on 3 June, and a warrant was issued. He was arrested again and given a new court date to appear on 23 September and again refused to attend court.
“Enough is enough. The destruction of our ancient native forests is an attack on our law in Country, which is pre-eminent to the colony’s alien sovereign from Britain. Until an agreement is made between the government and First Nations, so-called Australia will remain a colony,” said Everett.
“Colonial Australia has been a failure since the invasion of our First Nations in 1788. It has taken the colony a blink of an eye in First Nations’ history to cause immense destruction to our entire environment’s relational ecosystem and our people. Colonialism continues its cultural genocide of habitat and people. We have no power to stop the destruction of our cultural heritage. Our people are increasingly incarcerated in colonial prisons. The governments are still stealing our children, and the colonial assimilation program to remove our identity continues to cause trauma in our communities nationally,” he said.
“We are sick of this failed colony and its destructive practices for profits regardless of the negative impacts on our law in Country and its impacts on all people of the colony. To end this destruction, the colony should firstly make an agreement with First Nations to be Australian citizens and negotiate the conditions of citizenship to allow us to get on with healing our Country,” Everett concluded.
Photos credit: Jillian Mundy
