BY FRED FUENTES
MELBOURNE — Activists from around the country will converge on Melbourne on December 2-3 for an anti-war and anti-racism conference jointly organised by the National Union of Students and ANSWER, Act Now to Stop War and End Racism.
The conference will focus on the war in Afghanistan and the rise of racism, in particular against refugees and people of Arabic backgrounds. It will also discuss the linkages between the anti-war movement and the movement against corporate globalisation.
Conference organiser Kylie Moon, a member of Resistance, explained the motivations for holding the conference: "With the current uncertainty in Afghanistan and the strong support for refugee rights, this conference will provide the opportunity for activists from around the country to really think through how we can continue to build this movement in opposition to Bush's war and racism."
"It will enable activists to draw on their experiences and lessons from the anti-corporate movement", she added, "and work out a way forward for activists today."
The conference will bring together individuals from a variety of different organisations and viewpoint, including Nasra Ibrahim from the Islamic Society of Victoria, Reverend Tim Costello, Greens activist Pamela Curr and Alex Kouttab from the Australian Arabic Council as well as members of Friends of the Earth, Jubilee 2000, Indigenous Student Network, HATEWAR, Burmese Action Collective, Resistance and Refugee Action Collective.
Workshops during the conference will deal with issues such as the history of Afghanistan, the crackdown on civil liberties, Islam and women rights, the anti-Vietnam War movement, the myths around refugees, politics in the Middle East and organising on high schools and campus.
To find out more about the conference, or to give a workshop or have a stall, contact ANSWER on (03) 9639 8622 or NUS education officer Kate Davison on 0413 041 083.
From Green Left Weekly, November 28, 2001.
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