Reclaim the Night collective rejects exclusion
Virginia Brown
MELBOURNE — On October 8, the Reclaim the Night collective here passed a motion to reject a bid by some student movement activists (mainly from Left Alliance) to exclude men from participating in and supporting the Reclaim the Night rally and march.
As a result of the vote, men will be encouraged to show their support for Reclaim the Night by lining the streets along the route of the march. The motion, which was carried overwhelmingly, cited the success of the 1997 rally and march, which broadened out the annual event to involve all those who supported the aims and objectives of Reclaim the Night.
Emma Murphy, a Reclaim the Night collective member and activist with the Democratic Socialist Party, explained: "Women in the collective felt that it was important to encourage all those who support Reclaim the Night to mobilise on the streets where they can be seen.
"We also felt it was important that the event reflect the demands we have adopted: that the perpetrators of violence be held accountable by society, that women have the right to decide what happens to their own bodies, and that violence is everybody's business."
Murphy says it's been very useful broadening out the definition of violence to demand an end to all forms of violence in our society, "whether it is in the home, on the streets, against abortion services or in the dispossession of indigenous people".
"Left Alliance's brand of separatist politics, dressed up in radical rhetoric, sought to undo the huge steps forward in building alliances with community groups that the collective had worked hard to make", Murphy said.
"Seeing all men as the enemy, Left Alliance members argued that men's only controllable role in Reclaim the Night was to cook soup for women at the dance afterwards, and leave the venue before women arrived. This approach would have been a step backwards for the women's movement and the campaign against violence."
Murphy told Green Left Weekly, "Left Alliance members' separatist approach to the Reclaim the Night march cannot be separated from their recent attempts to stop Reclaim the Night from taking up the demand of women's right to choose, exclude transgender women from women-only organising groups, and call on the National Union of Students to support the criminalisation of all forms of pornography and prostitution.
"Fortunately, this rightward shift by Left Alliance has not permanently damaged the Reclaim the Night collective, in which the feeling is now very positive about getting on with building the event."
The rally and march on October 30 will start at 7pm outside the State Library on Swanston Street. After the march, a women's dance will be held at Storey Hall, RMIT, with Blue House and DJs. Food, a bar and child-care will be available. For details, phone Sarah on 9575 7741.