Australian Aborigines Threaten Civil Disobedience

Aborigines in the shadow of Australia's famous Uluru, or Ayer's Rock, have threatened to ban tourists to the area if the government goes forward with a proposed ban on alcohol and pornography in the Northern Territory where it lays.

Acting in response to Aboriginal child sexual abuse, John Howard wants to ban alcohol and pornography in the area, as well as force Aboriginal children to undergo medical examinations. He likened the child sexual abuse epidemic to that of Hurricane Katrina.

But many Aboriginal leaders have said that it is totalitarian and an attempt to seize political control of their lands. They point out that the proposed ban would only last six months and this is an election year.

- BBC