BY SARAH STEPHEN
MELBOURNE — October 3 was to be the first day of the three-day blockade of the Commonwealth Business Forum — the O3 blockade. But in the wake of Howard's cancellation of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, and with it the CBF, activists rapidly turned campaigning activity for the day to focus on an anti-war people's march.
Thousands of people, overwhelmingly young, responded to the call converging on City Square late in the afternoon of October 3. Many protesters came with peace symbols painted on their faces. Anti-war slogans were chalked on the footpaths around City Square.
Information stalls bustled with activity as people bought badges, T-shirts and left-wing newspapers. More than one anti-war veteran was heard to comment that the march felt like the days of the anti-Vietnam War movement all over again.
The crowd was entertained by people from the Sudanese Australia International Activist Group. Following a speech by the group's spokesperson, Aguil Bershut Deng, about the struggles of the south Sudanese people, protesters were encouraged to join in with Sudanese singing and dancing.
As the rally began, so did a short rain shower. One of the MCs, Tim Gooden, told the crowd: "There's a bit of rain out there, but the people of Afghanistan are preparing for bullets and bombs, so stand your ground in solidarity with the people overseas and against the onslaught the US is preparing for them."
Zimbabwean socialist Tafadzwa Choto told the crowd: "In Zimbabwe we are preparing for mass protests outside the UK and US embassies when bombing starts. Not only is it time to say no to war, but also to say cancel Third World debt. War will not end terrorism. It will actually increase the anger that is within people today. We should say no to war, but we can go further and say no to the system that creates war, the system that creates refugees, the system that creates racism, to do away with the capitalist system and build a new system, a socialist society. We have already started building that society and we invite you to do the same. Another world is possible!"
Hashmat Moslih from the Islamic Society of RMIT told the crowd: "Tell them that your jet fighters, your cruise missiles, your nuclear weapons did not deter the attacks on innocent people, nor will they in the future."
The crowd also heard short speeches from Dave Kerin from Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) and Sarah Peart from the O3 Alliance before marching through the city.
As the march proceeded the number of protesters swelled to more than 1500. Among the most popular chants were "One, two, three, four, we don't want your racist war; five, six, seven, eight, we will not cooperate" and "Refugees yes, racism no, Bush's war has got to go."
The marchers stopped outside the immigration department offices to hear speeches from Sarah Dastoli from the Refugee Action Collective, who had recently visited the Woomera detention centre; Surma Hadid from the International Federation of Iranian Refugees; and Jorge Jorquera from the Socialist Alliance.
The march finished, two hours after it had started, and still with the same passion, at the steps of Parliament House where Damien Lawson from the Western Suburbs Community Legal Service spoke about moves to drastically attack civil liberties in Australia in response to the terrorist attacks in the US.
The October 3 rally took place only four days after 2000 people had turned out for an anti-war protest on September 30, organised by ANSWER. This was the biggest yet in a series of weekly Sunday protests since US President George Bush announced plans for a "war on terrorism".
Participants in the September 30 rally were drawn largely from the peace movement of previous decades — those who had protested against the Vietnam War and against the 1991 Gulf War. Muslim and Arab migrants only had a small presence.
The rally was addressed by a long list of speakers, including Scott Kinnear, Senate candidate for the Greens, who read out sections of Bob Brown's recent speech to the National Press Club and reiterated his party's support for any military strikes to be conducted under UN auspices.
Sol Salby from the Australian Jewish Democratic Society told the rally: "There are good reasons for the people of the Arab and Muslim world to hate the US. You only have to look at Iraq", referring to the devastating effect of 10 years of sanctions. "We want something done about terrorism", he added, but "we want to do it by removing its causes. Removing the sanctions from Iraq and finding a peaceful solution for the Palestinians would do more to eliminate terrorism than any war." Salby also called on the Australian government to change its refugee policy and take in more of those fleeing the terror in Afghanistan.
Socialist Alliance candidate for the seat of Batman, Jackie Lynch, received rousing applause when she explained: "In Australia the Socialist Alliance is the only party running in the upcoming election to completely oppose the war. We don't think these terrorist attacks will be deterred by state terror. We don't think that people who are Middle Eastern or Islamic are to blame for terrorism. We stand in solidarity with all working people of the world, including those in the US and Afghanistan, as they struggle for justice and against oppression."
Other speakers included former Labor MP Joan Coxsedge who quit the ALP recently and has since been an anti-war campaigner; Zimbabwean socialist Tafadzwa Choto; Alex Kouttab from the Australian Arabic Council; Democrats Senator Lyn Allison; Dr Nouria Salehi from the Afghan Support Group; Hilton Deakin, Catholic vicar-general of Melbourne; and Meya Abraham from the Victorian TAFE Students and Apprentices Network.
While a significant number of people had left by the time the two-hour list of speakers had concluded, many people remained to march through the city to the steps of Parliament House, led by a loud and lively contingent carrying Socialist Alliance banners.