Indigenous activist Gabrielle Ebsworth has called out Domenica Calarco and Abbie Chatfield‘s performative activism in the wake of the death of an Indigenous teenager, Cassius Turvey.
**TRIGGER WARNING: The following content details assault and death and may be distressing for some readers.**
The 15-year-old schoolboy died on October 23 after being attacked and beaten with a metal pole on October 13.
Gabrielle, a proud Wangkumara Barkindji First Nations woman, is now calling out reality stars who aren’t using their platforms to “amplify blak [sic] voices”.
Taking to her Story on October 27, she shared a screenshot of Domenica’s sponsored post from Alice Springs on October 3.
“3 weeks ago — Acknowledgement of Country on a brand trip [sic],” Gabrielle highlighted. “Today — silence.
“Feminism is speaking up when it matters.”
Larrakia woman CJ similarly addressed Domenica’s silence, calling out the Married at First Sight star for “turning a blind eye to what’s happening to First Nations people”.
“It’s really frustrating when Aus [sic] reality TV stars such as Dom try to promote themselves by acting like they’re woke or claiming to be an ally because it’s trendy at the time,” she wrote.
“You can’t say you’re going to discuss ‘real issues’ on your podcasts and not follow through.”
CJ then said that these public figures only participate in activism if it’s “trending in the media”. She noted this is “generally international news”.
“In fact, I’m pretty sure Dom mourned the Queen’s death before doing a dirty delete when she realised she was on the least-popular bandwagon.”
It comes after Domenica recently attended an influencer trip to Uluru with skincare brand Ole Henriksen, where she gushed about learning about the “Anangu peoples and their history [sic].”
What Did Gabrielle Ebsworth Say About Abbie Chatfield?
Posting conflicting screenshots from Abbie’s Instagram Story on October 27, Gabrielle said she “should know better”.
“After everything that happened with Brooke [Blurton] last year, the heavy proclamations of being an outspoken feminist, only to turn around and post a single story between a TikTok and brand post,” she wrote.
“Having a platform as a white creator is a privilege nearly no blak [sic] women are afforded.”
It follows Gabrielle’s 2021 comments highlighting how the podcaster utilised her white privilege to overshadow Brooke’s history-making Bachelorette season.
Gabrielle said that if Domenica and Abbie are “truly allies, they would be outraged alongside us, using their platforms to amplify blak voices.”
Indigenous Activists Call Out Other Public Figures’ Lack of Allyship
It comes after Gabrielle reminded “blak people and allies” to “demand more of the people [we] give platforms”.
“The people who claim to support our mob. Who wear Clothing the Gap shirts and hashtag ‘change the date’ – ‘Black Lives Matter’ – ‘on [BLANK] country’.
“These people need to care about us when it’s not trendy,” she wrote alongside a list of public figures and what they are doing instead of highlighting the “crimes committed on this land against blak people”.
She continued: “Abbie is posting about dog beaches and hair bleach… Zara [McDonald] and Michelle [Andrews] are more concerned with Taylor Swift… Dom and Ella [Ding] promo their podcast [sic].
“I don’t want to hear ‘it’s out of their wheelhouse’ if you live on Stolen Land, you have an obligation to educate yourself on the crimes committed on this land against Blak people.
“This should be on everyone’s stories, everyone’s front page, everyone’s mind.”
Before concluding: “Stop killing us. Stop silencing us. Demand more.”
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