Chapter 6: ‘I've Been Chased by People in Cars – White People in Cars’¹ – Settler Necroautomobility in the Murders and Disappearances of First Nations Peoples

Since the initial invasion of settler colonies, occupiers have deployed and abused the powers of the penal system to further the Western colonial project. We refer to occupiers as ‘settlers’ to distinguish them from state police occupiers. However, we recognise the term ‘settlers’ is a problematic colonial term that implies that the process of settlement was peacefully implemented. This discourse is part of the undertones of colonial power – to innocently portray settlement as rolled out by brave and heroic Anglo Celtic settlers who at times had to defend themselves, their property and their families. It neglects their occupation of stolen land and food sources and settlers' role in massacres (See Fig. 3).