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London Court Case over Fate of Aboriginal Remains Adjourned

22 February 2007 - Within 24 hours of the Australian Government joining in legal proceedings, the case to decide the fate of 17 Tasmanian Aboriginal dead has been adjourned, Legal Director Michael Mansell said this morning. The case is set down for 7-9th March.

Indigenous delegation, protest outside natural history museum, london february 2007 photo courtesy Kevin Brown

Mr Mansell said, “This is good news. The involvement of the Australian Government, which has so far been tremendously supportive, means the British Museum will have had a re-think.

It is highly unlikely two national Governments are going to battle a disagreement out in such a public forum as a court. The adjournment provides the opportunity for the two Prime Ministers to sort this out politically,” Mr Mansell said.

He added, “We were particularly disappointed to see the British Ministry getting so solidly behind the mad scientists of London. It appears the NHM has tentacles reaching well into the Ministry of Culture and Art. We do not believe, however, that the influence of NHM extends to Tony Blair. It is at that level that the Museum can be forced to stop its degrading and sick testing of our dead, and be forced to surrender its hold over Aboriginal remains.”

Aboriginal delegates now in London are Clyde Mansell from Tasmania and Bob Weatherall of FAIRA, Queensland. They can be contacted on + 61 (0) 429 312 833, and are staying at the Holiday Inn, London - Regents Park, Room 438
Ph: + 44 (0) 8704009111
Fax: + 44 (0) 2073872806

Michael Mansell
Legal Director
Ph: + 61 (0) 429310116

Source: Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre

ACTION - PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY

Dear Colleagues

I ask you to take up urgent action to assist the Aboriginal peoples of Australia to reclaim our ancestral remains from the Natural History Museum in the United Kingdom.

Just over a week ago the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre (TAC) took legal action in the UK High Court to have the UK Natural History Museum (NHM) return the remains of 17 Tasmanian Aboriginals. This action immediately followed a decision in the Tasmanian Supreme Court which recognised the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre as the rightful custodians.

It became necessary for the TAC to seek and win an immediate injunction to stop the NHM undertaking intrusive tests into these remains to collect and keep DNA information.

The UK government has unfortunately joined the action to defend the NHM position. (The Australian Government has given moral and financial support to the TAC case but has so far failed to join the action.) We
believe the UK government is seeking to protect interests over ancient cultural collection in the keeping of the museums and may be less interested in preventing repatriation of ancestral remains belonging to
Indigenous Peoples. However the UK government is keeping a vague, perhaps ambiguous, position on this.

To our disadvantage the court has decided that the matter must be heard in full this Thursday, 22 February 2007.

This court case is crucial for all indigenous peoples whose ancestral remains have been taken WITHOUT CONSENT.

You might be aware the NHM has been a major collecting institution of indigenous peoples' bodies, obtained through immoral and inhuman practices over the past centuries, and it continues to oppose and resist modern human rights standards. The Natural History Museum represents the establishment of staid colonialists who think they are the guardians of the true morality of the world. Their claim to the importance of 'science' is a euphoric description of the murderous and evil acts undertaken by the purveyors of racial discrimination. The
NHM does not see reason in the expectation that modern scientific research respect the right of indigenous peoples to take control of ancestral remains. They are blind to the morality that scientific research be conducted only with the consent of the relevant custodians or authorities. This is science gone mad. It recalls the fantasies of nazism.

The NHM clearly expects that British 'class' difference keeps their policies beyond global accountability to the world's indigenous peoples. For example, in its evidence the NHM relies upon the 'fact' that the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples will be defeated.

I ask that you raise a public outcry about the position of the NHM and UK government. While the battle in the court is to be held it is important the UK public be made aware of the issues.

Will you please immediately write your opposition to the stance of the UK Natural History Museum to show that the indigenous peoples of the world reject its lies about the justification of the 'scientific' value to the people of the world to continue its crime against humanity? You may choose to write privately to the NHM or UK government, or go public in UK and international media, or do both.

Please direct a copy of your actions and any outcomes to the following email addresses:

Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre - Annie Reynolds, <annie.r (AT) tacinc.com.au>
TAC lawyers in the UK - Pia Sarma, <psarma (AT) fsilaw.co.uk>

The contact information for the Natural History Museum and the UK government is below:
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
Dr Michael Dixon
Director
Natural History Museum
Cromwell Road
London
SW7 5BD
UK

Email: <m.dixon@nhm.ac.uk> (cc to <feedback@nhm.ac.uk>)
Phone: +44 20 7942 5000
More contact info:
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/contact-enquiries/index.html

UNITED KINGDOM GOVERNMENT
Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP
Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA
United Kingdom

Email: <tessa.jowell@culture.gsi.gov.uk > and <jowellt@parliament.uk>
(tel): +44 20 7219 3409 House of Commons
(tel): +44 20 8333 1372 Constituency
(fax): +44 20 7219 2702 House of Commons
(fax): +44 20 8333 1372 Constituency

regards,
----------------------

Les Malezer
Chairman
FAIRA
PO Box 8402
Woolloongabba Qld 4102
AUSTRALIA

Mobile: +61 419 710 720
Email: les.malezer@faira.org.au

Further information: repatriation issues page - includes news index and external links

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