Applause breaks out after boos at Sydney’s Anzac Day Acknowledgement of Country
Senior military figures, politicians and Indigenous leaders have condemned heckling and booing that disrupted multiple Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country addresses at Anzac Day services across the country on Saturday.
In Sydney, a small but vocal group booed during the Acknowledgement of Country delivered by Pastor and Uncle Ray Minniecon — himself an ADF veteran — at the dawn service in Martin Place.
The outburst was met with an extended chorus of applause from the thousands gathered in support of Uncle Ray.
NSW Police confirmed a 24-year-old man was arrested for “an alleged act of nuisance” during the service, with several others moved on. He has been granted conditional bail to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on 3 June.
“I think they’ve got to understand that this always was and always will be Aboriginal land,” Uncle Ray told the ABC.
“We have experienced this type of racism now for over 230 years … what crime did we commit to attract this kind of racism and this kind of hate?”
