Sydney, Jan 27 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has been given a week’s ultimatum to collect her shoes or it will be sold on eBay. The Aborigine tribe in Australia says they are holding the shoes as ransom and hope to use it as a symbol of the struggle with the Australian government.

Gillard and opposition leader Tony Abbot had to be rescued by the security forces after a rally by the Aborigines threatened to turn violent. Gillard was seen being shielded by security personnel into a waiting van. One of her shoes was missing as she was taken to the van.

The shoe has been handed to and elder of the Aborigines Pat Eatock. She told reporters that, “I see it sitting like Cinderella’s shoe in a glass case in a museum 10 years from now as this is part of the history of race relations in Australia.”

The violence has been condemned by certain people including some leaders of the Aborigines. The Aborigines are asking for sovereignty. The protests continued on Friday as the Australian flag was burnt outside the Parliament House.

The protests were sparked by comments from Abbot suggesting that the age long Aboriginal embassy should be dismantled because it is no longer relevant.