An Indigenous mother took to social media this week to express her disgust after learning that her children we’re turned away from Woolworth’s simply for being ‘Murri’.
The incident happened in Townsville’s Vincent Village shopping centre on Thursday night. A group of Indigenous youths were heading home from their usual Thursday night out when they decided to stop and pick up some things from Woolworths. The boys were then confronted by security guards while trying to enter the supermarket. One of the security guards then told the boys that ‘No Murri’s’ under the age of 18 were allowed to enter Woolworths after 6:00 pm. The term ‘Murri’ is a general term that is loosely applied to Indigenous people living in Queensland much like the word Koori in NSW & Victoria.
The post was shared almost 100 times. The mother did follow up about the incident on Friday and was able to speak to the local manager who confirmed that this most certainly was not a Woolworths policy.
Attention now turns to the security company and the guard who feels it is fine to racially profile and impose race based bans upon Indigenous youths in Townsville. The mother is currently waiting for an update from the manager who is following up with the security company. The mother is also considering her legal options as racial discrimination is definitely not something that is allowed.
Welcome to Country is an independent Indigenous news/media website. Our work makes sure that news relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is heard.
