Inquiry indicates British committed ‘genocide’ against Aboriginal Australians
(MENAFN) A landmark inquiry in the Australian state of Victoria has concluded that British colonizers committed genocide against Aboriginal populations during the 19th century.
The Yoorrook Justice Commission, established in 2021 to investigate historical injustices, released its report on Tuesday following months of public hearings and testimony from over 1,300 Aboriginal individuals. The inquiry found that between 1834 and 1851—the period during which Victoria was colonized—the indigenous population dropped drastically from around 60,000 to 15,000 due to widespread violence and systemic oppression.
The commission attributed this collapse to a range of atrocities including mass killings, disease, sexual violence, forced child removal, cultural suppression, environmental damage, and destruction of indigenous languages. “This was genocide,” the report declared.
To address the harm caused by colonization, the commission proposed around 100 recommendations, including reparations and giving Victoria’s First Peoples’ Assembly authority in decision-making processes.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan welcomed the report, calling it a crucial step in acknowledging buried truths. Jill Gallagher, head of the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organization, emphasized that while current generations aren't blamed for past atrocities, they bear responsibility for confronting the truth.
The findings echo broader historical patterns. According to the Australian Museum, over 270 massacres were committed by colonists across Australia from the late 1700s to the early 1900s, reducing the Aboriginal population from over a million to under 100,000. Similar truth-telling inquiries are now underway in other Australian states.
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