Resistance provoked hysteria and outrage from shock-jocks and conservatives recently by selling Australian flag-burning kits to university students around the country during orientation weeks. The kits were inspired by Resistance member Azlan McLennan's artwork Proudly un-Australian, which was removed from a Footscray gallery in a police raid that was condemned by artists and civil-rights groups as blatant political censorship.
Resistance and Green Left Weekly received many messages of support from people who recognised that the flag is a symbol of colonialism and genocide, and that it is important to resist attempts by the government to use the flag to whip up nationalism to justify more wars and racist policies. As McLennan put it, "Howard denies that there is any underlying racism in Australia. We disagree, and the flag-burning kits are about making a statement against the US-led invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, and the racist incitement against Muslim and Arab people here and abroad."
Melbourne Resistance organiser Brianna Pike explained: "The key issue here is that in the current climate, where the Howard government is trying to criminalise dissent to its policies, we need to fight to maintain our basic democratic right to free speech."
The response from right-wing politicians and media commentators was predictable. Resistance thought we'd take the liberty of writing our own hysterical right-wing response to the flag-burning kits to save these people the trouble:
"Dear traitorous scum.
I agree 100% with National MP Bruce Scott, who said that Resistance should be forced to undergo compulsory re-education to teach you about Australian values. You are obviously not Australian enough. I can think of some camps in the desert that would be ideal locations for this.
Alternatively, you could all be deported — in fact, if you like Iraq so much, why don't you go and live there?
I'm a big believer in democracy and free speech — but you people have just gone too far by trying to exercise it.
As to your claim that the flag represents racism, nationalism and imperialism — what's wrong with that? They're the values this country was proudly founded on.
Sincerely, John Hanson.
PS You should all get a job!"*
*Resistance would like to point out that it would be difficult for us to move to Iraq and get a job, as there is now a 60% unemployment rate in that country.
From Green Left Weekly, March 15, 2006.
Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.