Aboriginal Activist UNLEASHES on ‘Fake Token’ Welcome to Country Ceremonies: ‘I’ve Had a Gutful of This Guilt Trip Crap’
- Cheron Long slams Welcome to Country ceremonies as ‘guilt trips’ that divide Australians
- She calls for them to be replaced with a minute’s silence for Australian veterans
- Ms Long argues that the ceremonies are ‘box-ticking exercises’ that don’t mean anything to average Aussies
- Her video has sparked a heated debate, with some supporting her views and others defending the ceremonies
Indigenous activist Cheron Long has sparked outrage after blasting Welcome to Country ceremonies as ‘fake token’ rituals that do more to divide Australians than unite them. In a resurfaced video posted to social media in June, Ms Long unleashed on the ceremonies, calling for them to be replaced with a minute’s silence for Australian veterans.
‘I’ve had a gutful of this fake, token Welcome to Country crap,’ she said. ‘Every damn footy game, cricket match, concert, you name it. We’ve got to sit through this same rehearsed nonsense like it actually means anything to the average Aussie.’
Ms Long, who has gained a large following online for her posts on crime and social issues in Indigenous communities, argued that the ceremonies are nothing more than ‘box-ticking exercises’ that don’t mean anything to average Aussies. ‘It’s not culture, it’s a guilt trip ritual pushed down our throats,’ she said.
Instead of Welcome to Country ceremonies, Ms Long argued that Australians should take a moment to remember the country’s veterans. ‘You want real respect? How about we honour the people who actually built and protected this country: our Anzacs, our veterans, the men and women who gave their lives so that we can enjoy a beer and watch a game and live free,’ she said.
‘Let’s have a minute’s silence before the game. Let’s raise the flag, play the anthem proud, and remember our fallen. That’s real, that’s Aussie, not this guilt trip ritual that does more to divide us than unite us.’
Ms Long’s video has sparked a heated debate, with some supporting her views and others defending the ceremonies. Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who has campaigned alongside Ms Long, welcomed her remarks, saying that she commends Ms Long for ‘always striving to bring Australians together in unity’.
However, not everyone has been supportive of Ms Long’s views. Some have accused her of being ‘disrespectful’ and ‘divisive’, arguing that the Welcome to Country ceremonies are an important way to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land.
As the debate continues to rage, one thing is clear: Ms Long’s comments have sparked a much-needed conversation about the role of Welcome to Country ceremonies in Australian society. Whether you agree with her views or not, one thing is certain – this is a conversation that is long overdue.