We are a group of concerned Aboriginal people who come from various backgrounds such as the arts, communications, academia and public
relations. We are also strong advocates of Aboriginal justice and free speech.
Dear Dr. Anthony Dillon,
We are writing this letter to express to you and others our
dissatisfaction at the way in which you have consistently trolled and
abused so many Aboriginal people through social media. We also ask you
to register our disgust against many of the repulsive and ill-conceived
comments that you have made in recent years in various mainstream media publications as well.
While we fully understand the rights for all people, especially
Aboriginal people, to speak freely in the public sphere, it seems to us
that much of what you write is strongly biased against the way
Aboriginal people conduct our own affairs. We could make many references at this point, but they’re too many to mention. What we most strongly request is for you to stop trolling those Aboriginal people who disagree with you on social media.
It is bad enough for us to read your distorted views about Aboriginal
men and women, which you seem to enjoy demonising, and that you should
think it acceptable to hunt down those on social media who disagree with
you. This all seems even more hypocritical of you since your pet-topic
for some time now is against ‘lateral violence’ amongst Aboriginal
people.
We are aware that there are so many problems in our communities, some of which are the fault of our own people, but that you should only want to
blame Aboriginal people without discussing the many other contributing
factors reveals your own prejudice against Aboriginal people. No society
or individual is perfect, and neither are you, so perhaps you might like
to rethink your ‘holier than thou’ bias against those Aboriginal
people who are not as fortunate as you.
What we find even more unacceptable is that you self-assuredly write for
at least two of the most well-known hostile mainstream publications that
are notorious for ‘blaming Aboriginal victims’, and then have time to
spend on social media to attack other Aboriginal people who disagree
with you. One would think that you would be too busy to troll our pages
hiding behind the many conservative institutions who defend you.
Even more repulsive is the fact that you are a lecturer for the
Institute for Positive Psychology & Education in the Australian Catholic
University. The irony here is not lost on us Dr. Dillon; especially since
they have come out in support of you, stating that it is your right to
attack Aboriginal people on social media as a part of the university’s
‘Intellectual Freedom’ and is in ‘accordance with the university’s ‘Code
of Conduct’.
It is because of that appalling letter and excuse by the ACU that we
feel it necessary to come out and make this public statement on social
media, and to ask you to stop hiding behind your flashy conservative
institutions and stop trolling Aboriginal people on social media.
Signed,
Lidia Thorpe MP – Gunnai-Gunditjmara
Dr. Lynette Riley – Wiradjuri
Franny Peters-Little – Yuwaalaraay Gamilaraay
Chris Bonney – Narrunga/Gunditjmara/Meintang
Ken Canning – Bidjara
Trevor James – Arrernte/Kaurna
Raymond Weatherall – Gamilaraay
Amanda Dass – Gamilaraay
Ted Fields – Yuwaalaraay
Joylene Simpson – Wiradjuri
Amy Creighton – Gamilaraay
Jan Slater – Yamatji Badimia
Welcome to country is an independent Indigenous news/media website. We publish news and views that are often ignored by the mainstream media. Welcome to country is also an open platform for grassroots activists to be heard and published online.
