|
|
|
|
|
|
The above pictures are buttons, which if clicked on will open various sections of this website.
The day started for me by sharing a bus with the students from Deakin University, going from Geelong to Spencer St. Station. People on the bus were all excited about being a part of what was percewive to be a highly significant protest. We were also nervous about the potential for violence, anticipating some Police brutality and conflict on the front line.
At Spencer St we joined up with a rally comprising people from regional west victoria; Geelong, Ballarat, Warnambool, Bendigo and so on. There looked to be about 200 people, even though I later found more had gone to Flinders St by mistake. Socialist groups had everything organised; placards, banners and newspapers were readily distributed. They instructed us how and where to march, and led the chanting.
"People's needs not Corporate Greed, SHUT THE FORUM DOWN!"
After realising that the traffic was slower than walking pace, we moved off the road and marched down the tram tracks instead. The line of cars next to us seemed to try to ignore us, to their mistake as we found on reaching the casino that the roads were blocked and that line of traffic was not going anywhere.
A line of people, often 3 deep had the Casino surrounded. A 3m high concrete and steel fence blocked access, with lines of Police blocking every gap in the fence.
Rain began falling, the wind blew and it was freezing. No-one even contemplated leaving, but shared umbrellas, huddled under raincoats and placards. As I walked around the perimeter I began to reaize just how huge the blockade was; the perimeter of the Casino must have been about 5 km, and the line of peole went all the way around, with groups of 1000 at major entrances.
Mounted Police tried to break the blockade, but were blocked by a quickly assembled mass, that linked arms and pushed back.
Some people had gone to great trouble to prepare amazing costumes. One couple of women had giant platform shoes, leather straps, wings, wild head gear and when I called out my approval, she waved a gnarly tree-root and replied "Wanna root?"
A few Santa-Claus' mingled in the crowd, a rubber faced Bill Clinton walked arm in arm with a mock BIll Gates but the more serious constumes were the black jackets and balaclavas worn by an anarchist group.
Underneath a freeway ramp there was a confusing mass of people, with the Police line forming a kind of peninsula into the sea of protestors. Mounted Police again challenged the crowd, which drew an ever larger mob to resist them. This decoy became apparent when coaches were seen up a ramp, with suited delegates strolling towards the Casino entrance. Some protestors climbed the conrete freeway ramp's sides and called for others to join them, to try and block the delegate's access.
The call was answered as we formed a solid scrum of people, that pushed against the Police line and eventually broke through, running up the ramp. It was too late, by the time we got there the delegates were inside and the buses reversed away. We were a group of 100 that was now isolated from the main body of the protest. A line of Police charged into our group, throwing punches and shoving. They were met with a few shoves back and solid wall of people with linked arms. "Come on mate, use your head!" One protestor yelled to the violent cop. "Non-violence! Non-violence!" went up the call, which became the standard every time a confrontation occurred.
Strangely, the Police grouped in front of us, then a short time later all left, leaving a handfull of worried looking Casino Security men. I later learned that they had moved to another entrance where Western Australia's Premier, Richard Court, was under siege.
Apparently he had arrogantly driven into the crowd of people, expecting to simply walk in the front door. Once surrounded by people, he was idenified and an aboriginal activist yelled concise abuse at him through his car's window. His driver's attempt to continue driving into the crowd was answered by having the car's tyres slashed and people jumping on the bonnet and roof of the car.
Police charged in, clubbing and prodding people with their battons. Eventually they seperated peple from the car and it trundled away on its rims. Premier Richard Court did not get in.
Amongst the protest group there was a lot of confusion, not knowing what was happening elsewhere, or whether they were needed at another gate, also wanting to find friends known to be in the crowd. This lead to people walking a bit aimlessly around and around the Casino. I spent most of my time doing this, stopping to link arms at entrances as required along the way.
It was difficult to estmate the size of the crowd, as we were never all together in one group, but it a long line all around the Casino complex. Considering the there were groups of several thousand at each major entrance I'd say there must have been 20,000 people protesting. I personally met friends from all around the country; Cairns, Brisbane, Lismore, Sydney, Wollongong, East Gippsland, Melbourne, Tasmania, Geelong, Adelaide, and the desert. At least a few people had even come from the US, who had been at Seattle and were keen enough to want to do it again.
The Seattle riots were said to have started in response to Police brutality. In that case, peaceful, non-violent protestors were bashed with battons while sitting on the ground. Capsicum sprays were used directly in people's eyes while they sat with linked arms, and the general level of brutality was shocking. It was this that created such resentment to the authority, that lead to tpeople using violence as resistance, which then became a riot.
The only violence seen at s11 was when Police tried to charge into the crowd with battons, which was met by chants of "non-violence, non-violence" and at worst a few punches. In the late afternoon a line of Police tried to break through the blockade by charging, throwing people around and swinging punches. The chant went up again, people ran to assist, to linkarms and block the access, and soon formed a 50 strong scrum that pushed the Police back and ejected them from the crowd.
All this said without even mentioning the politics involved!
I suppose the message was simple; that we dont like the exploitation of people and the planet by these billionaires for their Corporate gain. The concrete wall erected around the Casino by the Police became a graffiti wall, with more humourous slogans than I've ever seen in one place before. "CHANT DOWN BABYLON" "microsoftcocks" "Keep Warm, BURN THE RICH" "WEED NOT GREED" "Anarchy upsets the applecart - so we all get apples!" and following Howards "un-Australian" slagging of the protest; "I think, therefore I am un-Australian".
On the whole, the vibe was really happy, joyfull. People were glad to be part of such a significant event, such a rich gathering of activists from around the country. At the nd of thew day we were dancing in the street to a rapper who provided a succint live commentary to the event, with sounds provided by a nuclear waste barrel, that housed a solar powered PA. 
S12 - day two, was the Union's Day, but they chose not to join the blockade, but stage a rally nearby instead. Police again used horses and battons to break through the crowd, this time with success, allowing busloads of the delegates inside.
Prime Minister John Howard condemned the blockade as "un-Australian". Radio station JJJ then asked, so what does it mean to be "un-Australian"?
In my view, the current system allows the rich minority - the s11 delegates - to make thier billions at the expense of the majority and the environment. Mineral wealth that Premier Richard Court says is "produced" in his state is actually exploitation of a finite resource. Court is proud that more minerals were dug up and exported last year than ever before, hence mroe money made for his state. His rich buddies are happy with him, so what's the problem? The problem is that the more that is dug up and exported, the poorer Australia becomes in the long term. That is more minerals that Australia will not get to use. It means there is now less resource for Australia in the future, and a greater environmental problem now.
Australian history shows a pattern of bom and bust. Small towns springing up around gold fields, now dead and empty as the gold has run out. Farming communities prosper until the top-soil is depleted and the ground salinated, now they are broke and desperate. The more we "produce", the worse off we become in the long term. The s11 protest was about trying to show opposition to this exploitive system.
Un-Australian? Yes. s11 rebels against the Australia that massacred and oppresses its indigenous people. Rebels against the selling of resources at environmental expense. Rebels against massive Corporate mono-culture farming, rebels against the privatisation and globalisation of our services - such as the selling of water supplies, phone systems and public transport. Rebels against a Government that tries to break up and disempower Unions and workers, too.
Un-Australian this protest maybe, but only until Australia embraces this change. What future will we have if the voice of s11 is not heard? How wealthy will be be on an island with no natural resources left, depleted, salinated soils and overseas owned services?