Forgotten People by Richard Evans

Author:Richard Evans
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: page turner, corruption, Australian Fiction, conspiracy, terrorism
Publisher: 852 Press
Published: 2021-03-01T00:00:00+00:00

13

The vibrant colours of Brisbane were extinguished, streets almost deserted, and in those businesses remaining open, torch light and candles illuminating the premises, but no customers. Cars providing the only lights in and around the city.

Messaris directed Miller to put the word out to her allies to form a mob of activists by midnight for a little ‘rough and tumble’. They were encouraged to dress in black, hooded and masked – the international garb of anarchists keen to create as much disturbance and chaos as possible. The assembly point in the botanic gardens hummed with a growing number of excited hushed voices. Thirty minutes after the designated time, Messaris moved to the few steps at the Walter Hill fountain and more than two hundred activists shuffled close to hear what he had to say.

A masked Messaris addressed them in a hoarse whisper: ‘We are about to embark on the first step to achieving Aboriginal sovereignty.’ A ripple of sentiment washed through the crowd. ‘Before us is the parliament of Queensland, a symbol of white settler supremacy. The plunderers stole our lands taking away our rights, oppressing all Aboriginal people and ignoring the sovereign rights of the Turrbal and Jagera peoples. This should never be forgotten. We survived, and we want it all back.’

‘You got that right,’ someone said, sparking murmurs of agreement.

‘The struggle we begin tonight will not deliver much for us, but it will be an important first step in bringing justice for our people. Tonight, the revolution begins – we may be nearly three hundred years late, but it is a fight we stand ready for. Let us do as our brothers and sisters did in Western Australia, but with one important difference – let us not have a silent vigil, let us attack the parliament and occupy the symbol of white privilege and let us send a message to Canberra that we are not a forgotten people.’ Voices raised in agreement. ‘Let us, as one, storm the parliament and demonstrate we cannot be ignored. Let us be loud and proud.’ Messaris strode off the fountain steps, jostling through the crowd that turned as one, following him through the gardens to parliament house.

When the mob reached the forecourt, they rushed the locked iron gates shouting slogans, rattling the gates, creating wild activity. Flares were ignited and tossed over the fence. Security guards assigned to protect the building when the blackout kicked in realised they be unable to hold back the mob if the gates failed. A young, nervous police officer radioed an appeal to his central base, soon after reassuring wails of distant sirens were heard.

Messaris was satisfied with the diversion at the front of the building. The mob was loud and angry. They wanted access, pushing hard against the gates, forcing security guards and attending police to push back and hold until reinforcements arrived. He pinged a message to his colleagues at the rear of the parliamentary complex, to activate their mission to break and enter. Three

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