 A little over four years ago, in 2004, a policeman beat to death an Aboriginal man known as Mulrunji on Palm Island, in Australia's racist north Queensland. Today, the battle for justice continues.
On December 7, 2008, Aboriginal community leader Lex Wotton, a plumber and father of four, was sentenced to six years in jail after an all-white jury convicted him of "riot with destruction." His crime? Taking part in a large, militant, and completely justified community protest that erupted a week after a coroner ruled Mulrunji's death accidental. Wotton is a political prisoner, and he must be freed now.
Interviewed by the Australian Freedom Socialist Bulletin (FSB), Wotton said, "I was targeted as the ringleader in the so-called Palm Island riots. I am the scapegoat for both the federal and state governments' inaction and failure to implement the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody."
Australian indigenous people are jailed at record rates. Although they comprise a mere 2.2 percent of Australia's population, they represent over 22 percent of the prison population and 30 percent of all deaths in custody.
On Nov. 19, 2004, Mulrunji allegedly mouthed off to police officer Chris Hurley as he was arresting another Aboriginal man on the street. Hurley arrested Mulrunji for being drunk and disorderly, beat him, and took him to jail. Mulrunji was found dead on the cell floor 40 minutes later. He had suffered head and jaw trauma, four broken ribs, and massive internal bleeding. His liver was literally cleaved in half.
When the first coroner's inquiry declared Mulrunji's death an accident — police withheld names of witnesses who had seen Chris Hurley punching Mulrunji — the community rebelled. Protesters burned down the police station, courthouse, and Hurley's police residence.
Demands to know the truth and hold those responsible to account resulted in a proper coroner's investigation in 2006 that found Hurley culpable for Mulrunji's death. More mass protests were necessary before Hurley was hauled into court, making him one of the few cops responsible for a death in custody to face trial.
But, in 2007, an all-white jury acquitted Hurley. He was promoted, transferred to a sought-after location, and given $100,000 to compensate for belongings lost in the fire. In contrast, Wotton, a plumber, was found guilty of rioting - along with 22 others.
By Alison Thorne for Freedom Socialist Bulletin, Australia. |
