BY MATT RICH MELBOURNE — Australian students have begun to organise protests and anti-war and racism coalitions around the country.
On September 19, 200 students attended a speak-out in La Trobe University's Agora condemning the US-led military intervention into the Middle East. Organised jointly by the socialist youth group Resistance and the Muslim Students' Club, the speakout called on the Australian government to abandon support for the US military operation.
Since September 11, racist abuse has dramatically increased on La Trobe. "The key to stopping this racism lies with building an anti-war alternative", Resistance member Kylie Moon told the protesters announcing the formation of activist coalition No War! No Racism!.
No War! No Racism! is contesting the October 8-12 Student Representative Council and National Union of Students elections on La Trobe.
On the same day at RMIT, 150 students protested against racism and war. Some of the worst racist attacks in Melbourne have taken place at RMIT. The chairperson of the RMIT Islamic Society, Hashmatullah Moslih told the assembled crowd that he was forced off the road while driving to university, and called "a killer".
Sarah Cleary reports from the University of Tasmania that the newly formed Network Opposing War and Racism (NO WAR) is planning a giant postcard addressed to the federal government, illustrating the horror and human suffering that a war could bring.
Coalitions against war and racism have also been formed at the University of Queensland, Southern Cross University and the University of New South Wales, and are planned on many more campuses. To get involved phone your local Resistance branch, email <nationaloffice@resistance.org.au> or visit <www.resistance.org.au>.