‘Humiliation rituals’: Tucker Carlson slams Australian ‘land acknowledgment’ ceremonies
The controversial US political commentator has slammed Australia’s “land acknowledgment” ceremonies, calling them “grotesque”.
Controversial US political commentator Tucker Carlson has taken aim at Australia’s “grotesque” Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country ceremonies, labelling them “humiliation rituals” in a resurfaced clip.
The video of the former Fox News host has resurfaced this week on social media as a national debate rages over the necessity of the ceremonies.
The debate comes after a group of protesters – led by known neo-Nazis – booed the Welcome to Country at the traditional Dawn Service in Melbourne’s CBD.
An Acknowledgement of Country is a statement of respect for the traditional owners of the land where an event or gathering is taking place, and a Welcome to Country is a formal ceremony led by a Traditional Owner, often an Elder, to officially welcome visitors to their land.
In the video, Carlson, who visited Australia last June on a speaking tour as a guest of billionaire Clive Palmer, slammed “land acknowledgment” ceremonies, questioning if they help Indigenous Australians.
“When I was in Australia, the thing that shocked me the most was, your, I think it’s called your land acknowledgment,” he said.
“I found it one of the most grotesque things I’ve ever seen. One of the most profound humiliation rituals I’ve ever witnessed in my life.”
Carlson pointed out flights operated by Qantas – which broadcasts the Acknowledgement of Country to passengers on every plane that lands in Australia – as one of the incidents when the acknowledgment is heard.
“I thought to myself, who is this helping? Is it helping the Indigenous community? If so, tell me how,” Carlson said.
“When you say this doesn’t belong to me, is there someone in the Indigenous community getting a job or a government grant? No. No one is benefiting except the people who seek to steal your country. And they’re are going to steal your country, and they’re telling you so.”
The controversial right-wing media figure went so far as to compare the acknowledgment to an armed home invasion.
“When you are forced to say something is not yours, that means someone else is about to take it from you,” Carlson said.
“If you’re sitting at home one night and an armed group of people show up at your house with guns and say ‘henceforth, we would like you to say, out loud every single day, this is not our house’.
“You say ‘but I paid for this house. I’ve got a mortgage on this house, it’s my house’. No, they stick a gun in your face, every day you repeat ‘this is not my house’.
“They’re asking you to do that so they can steal your house and when they do steal your house, you won’t put up a fight because you’ve been trained to believe it is not your house. That’s exactly what a land acknowledgment is.”
Dr Jessa Rogers, Wiradjuri woman and Associate Professor of Indigenous Education at the University of Melbourne said Carlson’s comments were misleading and came as “no surprise given the things he stands for in America”.
“Tucker Carlson’s dismissal of land acknowledgments reveals a familiar settler anxiety, one rooted in denial and the legacy of dispossession,” Dr Rogers told news.com.au.
“Comparing a peaceful statement to armed invasion is not only misleading but deeply ironic, given how our lands were actually taken. Carlson’s comments uphold the violence of colonisation.”
Addressing Qantas’ involvement in the Acknowledgement of Country, Dr Rogers said: “Many people travelling in Australia appreciate knowing whose land they’re on and who has cared for it for thousands of generations”.
“I know several of my Native/Indigenous American colleagues love it, and only wish the American airlines would do the same thing.”
Qantas first introduced the Acknowledgement to Country in November 2021 shortly after international flights resumed from being grounded amid the global pandemic.
According to the national carrier, the words intend “to honour the cultural significance of an Aboriginal mob or language group as the Indigenous inhabitants occupying the area of the modern city’s airport”.
“Acknowledgment to Country is one of the things you’ll hear our crew doing once we restart as well, which is a new addition and something we’re really excited about,” Qantas chief customer officer Stephanie Tully said.
Ralph Babet, a senator for the United Australia Party (UAP), said the video of Carlson should not have been released in full.
“This is a private United Australia Party and Trumpet of Patriots video,” he said. “Tucker live streamed to one of our members events. This shouldn’t have been released in full like this.”
Dutton calls for Welcome to Country ceremonies to be regulated
It comes as Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has proposed Welcome to Country ceremonies should be relegated to only “major events”.
Mr Dutton and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese weighed in on the issue during Sunday night’s leaders debate, where both condemned the incident at Melbourne’s ANZAC Day Dawn Service.
When asked if he will “acknowledge the traditional owners at your official events”, Mr Dutton said there was a sense in the community that they’re “overdone” and “divide the country” just as the failed Voice referendum did in 2023.
Mr Dutton gave two examples where he felt the ritual was no longer needed.
“For the opening of parliament, fair enough, it is respectful to do, but for the start of every meeting at work, or the start of a football game, I think other Australians think it is overdone and cheapens the significance of what it was meant to do,” he said.
Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce later echoed Mr Dutton’s comments, clashing with Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek on Sunrise on Monday morning.
Though Mr Joyce agreed with Ms Plibersek labelling the Dawn Service protesters “scumbags”, he claimed the “overdone” ceremonies were leading to “aggravation” among Australians.
“People are starting to feel awkward at them and awkward goes to anger at times. That is something we don’t want,” he said.
“I certainly don’t want to be welcomed back to my own hometown. I think veterans have a genuine concern, if they’ve signed on the dotted line to (serve) for this nation, they don’t believe they need to be welcomed to it.
“We’ve got to be a lot more discerning about how we do this because there is an aggravation that’s building up in the community.
“The best thing to do to avoid that is to be a lot more discerning about when you do Welcome to Countries.”
Originally published as ‘Humiliation rituals’: Tucker Carlson slams Australian ‘land acknowledgment’ ceremonies
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