A respected Indigenous elder and political activist has vowed to continue defying orders to appear in court on trespass charges, asserting that Tasmania’s courts have “no jurisdiction” over him.
Jim Everett was arrested in a logging coupe within the Central Highlands on Tuesday, his 82nd birthday, defending native forests in the area.
12 other protesters complied with a police direction to leave the site, but Everett insisted on staying and was subsequently arrested and taken away in a police vehicle.
The Pakana/Palawa man is scheduled to appear in court on December 12th but has declared he won’t go “unless they drag me there”.
“Colonial Australia has no jurisdiction to arrest me or try me on charges for defending Palawa law in Country and my action is to challenge the lie of assumed citizenship,” he said.
“The Palawa have been under colonialism now for 221 years and have never had any agreements with the colonial governments of Australia or Tasmania to become Australian citizens.”
The activist maintains that he is “testing the colonial court” which he believes has “no jurisdiction” over his actions to protect the land.
Speaking at Parliament Lawns in Hobart on Tuesday afternoon, after he had been released from the New Norfolk Police Station, Everett said the government ‘knows’ it can stop native forest logging but hasn’t.
He said they also have “never made an agreement” with First Nations people about citizenship.
“I’ll be in that court when they take me there and then we will really sort out the truth.”
A spokesperson for the Tasmanian Government says it respects the right for people to protest “peacefully and lawfully”.
