Colonial theft, dispossession and genocide are no reason to celebrate and as such we call for all participating nations, athletes, artists and fans to boycott the games and to end colonial occupation and oppression in Australia as well the systemic abuse against our communities.
The Stolenwealth games are merely another cheap gimmick used to whitewash the realities and bloody histories of British colonisation across 6 continents. There is no unity through genocide. First Nations Elders and supporters working with RISE have made it clear that countries and individuals who are willing to participate in this grotesque pandering to a display of British colonialism are not welcome and are violating Indigenous sovereignty.
We encourage people to take responsibility for their own communities and organise actions at embassies of participating nations, contact activists from participating nations and publicly pressure athletes and artists to pull out of the games.
We also encourage people to support the Stolenwealth Games protest actions that will be occurring on the Gold Coast and around Australia from April 4th, 2018. Unite to resist continuing colonial occupation and imperialism. Anyone who is coming to participate in the Stolenwealth games or going to watch the games undermines the sovereignty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and over 200 years of genocide and on-going oppression. Further, they are also complicit in the torture and indefinite detention of refugees in Australia?s onshore and offshore detention camps. This systemic oppression must end.
Australia?s colonial borders continue to oppress communities of colour and Black peoples living inside and outside these borders. We condemn the treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, asylum seekers and refugees in detention centres and prisons in this country. Every time you win a medal, you are winning a medal for colonization, genocide, occupation, systemic abuse and discrimination.
This is an international crisis. Deal with the root of the crisis and act now!
No Games on stolen land.
#BoycottGC2018 #SanctionAustralia #NotTheQueensLand
Media contact: Ramesh Fernandez admin@riserefugee.org / 03 9639 8623
Here are some actions you can take to boycott the Stolenwealth Games in Queensland, Australia 2018 and stand in solidarity with
1. Contact and organise actions at embassies of participating nations.
2. Contact activists from participating nations and request they help apply public pressure on athletes to pull out of the games.
3. Put pressure on those musicians and performers to boycott participating at the Stolenwealth games especially white Australians, white Canadians and British at the opening ceremony (see below details of the performers)
4. Attend rallies and demonstrations and draw attention to protest actions
Contact points for artists and embassies here and ACT NOW!