Council says 'sorry' for gay arrests
This media release was issued by the TGLRG on 11.12.08.
In a moving ceremony in the Hobart Town Hall last night, the Hobart City Council apologised for banning a gay law reform stall from the city's popular Salamanca Market and ordering the arrest of those staffing and supporting the stall.
In 1988 a stall gathering petition signatures to repeal Tasmania's laws against homosexuality was shut down on Council orders and over subsequent weeks more than 100 people were arrested defending the stall in what became Australia's largest ever act of gay rights civil disobedience.
The apology delivered by Lord Mayor, Rob Valentine, to an emotional audience of 200 former arrestees, LGBT community members and civic leaders including State Premier, David Bartlett, coincided with the 20th anniversary of the the arrests and the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
To rousing applause, the Lord Mayor said,
"The Hobart City Council apologises for prohibiting the gay law reform stall at Salamanca Market in 1988 and for the resulting arrests and bans.
"We are sorry for the pain and trauma caused to all involved, including GLBTI people, their family members, friends and supporters and those Council officers who were required to carry out the Council decision.
"We are also sorry that the actions we took may have encouraged ill-will and discrimination towards GLBTI people in the broader community.
"We resolve that actions such as these will never happen again."
The full text is available here
http://tglrg.org/more/401_0_1_0_M/
On behalf of the Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group whose stall was banned, Mr Rodney Croome, formally accepted the apology.
The full text is available here
http://tglrg.org/more/403_0_1_0_M/
Following the ceremony Mr Croome said, "20 years ago, as we sat in police cells for the 'crime' of being ourselves, we could not possibly have imagined something like this".
"People everywhere who suffer human rights abuses should take this apology as a sign that no matter how bad things seem there is always hope of a better future."
Prior to the apology a Council-sponsored photo exhibition of the arrests was opened at the Salamanca Arts Centre by former arrestee, Richard Hale.
Mr Hale said "the arrests were a transforming moment in the lives of not only those who were arrested but thousands of others who saw how fragile our democrat rights are, but also how the bravery and solidarity of ordinary people can make real change."
"The lives of many people were changed forever by the scenes of defiance, sadness and joy depicted here."
The Hobart City Council is also sponsoring a public art work for Salamanca Place to commemorate the arrests.
For more information contact Rodney Croome on 0409 010 669.