Police harassment
I am writing as one of the many Brisbane Resistance members concerned about police harassment. Along with many other high school students, I attended the anti-uranium mining protest on April 26th. It was a lovely rally with about 350 activists. There was a feeling of power in the air because everyone was there for one thing — a peaceful rally against uranium mining. It seems the police had other ideas.
We started the rally at 5pm in King George Square with many guest speakers. Then we started to march towards the Queens St Mall. We were marching down Adelaide St when a police officer told us to "get back on the footpath or I'll arrest you". In the end they arrested eight activists including the "ring leader" Zanny Begg.
They think that if you take away the "ring leaders" then the "flock" will disperse. But they were wrong. Other people just stepped forward and spoke to the rally. As we marched to the watch-house we gathered more support on the way.
I think we need to stand up to these "public law enforcers" before all our rights are taken away. And we need to build support for the rally against uranium mining on the May 24th. I'm here to fight the government all the way. I hope you are too.
Jamie Meurant
Brisbane
[Edited for length.]
Howard's gun tactics
Pip Hinman's article in GLW #230 is to be applauded for an analysis of the gun issue motivated by sincerity instead of the spittle of simplicities pouring from other media.
As the author articulates, the right to arms must be in the context of democratic resistance to oppression.
Despite its own bloody beginnings, bourgeois society has long had intentions to monopolise the means of violence to the capitalist state. This comes to a frenzy during perceptions of crisis. For instance, Hitler's disarming of civilians found inspiration in the House of Lords' act to seize firearms from the British working class following the Bolshevik revolution. (Hence, the irony of reserve forces doing drill with mock guns in 1940, later satirised in Dad's Army.)
Police, in Australia as elsewhere, still vigorously pressure government because they fear an armed citizenry. The hasty, unconsultative gun "summit" manifests the vigilance bourgeois politicians have for their chance.
This brings us to the cynical tactics of John Howard which, alas, Hinman has overlooked along with most of the media.
First, registration has little bearing on individual gun abuse. (Frankly admitted by governments.) Its singular purpose is to equip authorities for the seizure of firearms in general, as attempted by Unsworth.
Second, Howard's insistence on banning all semi-automatics is a calculated smudging over of the critical difference between combat weapons and sporting firearms, leaving the door open for a total ban on guns.
And third, talk of enforced storage in central armouries is a euphemism for seizure of firearms from hunters. Unless clubs manage game reserves — unlikely in this society — their sport cannot operate under such an arrangement.
The fact Sporting Shooters have lobbied for reasonable legislation — such as the inclusion of semi-automatic, centre-fire rifles (combat weapons) with the current tight regulations for pistols, and confiscation of guns upon evidence of domestic violence — is now by the bye.
Instead we are to suffer innumerable law and order campaigns and an extension of stifling censorship while, no doubt, the return of the death penalty waits in the wings.
Despite petit bourgeois contradictions which will surface from the now inevitable national shooters' party, its hostility to all mainstream parties, the civil disobedience it must encourage and its determination to thwart Howard, et al, at every corner creates an unforeseen opportunity for even broader resistance to the ruling class.
Robert Hodder
Canberra
Firearms and censorship
Nowhere in the election policies of the major parties was there any indication of their intention to criminalise the ownership of firearms.
It is despicable and absolutely unprincipled for the Federal, State and Territory Governments, Opposition parties and other politicians and leading public figures to use the terrible tragedy of Port Arthur as an excuse for disarming the Australian people.
Far from being safe and secure, citizens are now unable to defend themselves against armed or dangerous intruders of any description.
It is dangerous and naive to think that the spreading breakdown of law and order in other parts of the world will pass us by — we are all part of the social collapse driven by the conflict between expanding populations and declining and degrading life support systems.
The next step is the censorship of information — like the criminalisation of self-defence this will be done in "the national interest". We will only know what we are allowed to know, think what we are allowed to think and do what is "good for the nation". We will never know just what has been censored "for our own good".
Col Friel
Alawa NT
Sectarianism
I thought May Day, a day dedicated to solidarity, would be a good time to talk about what seems to be the main thing wrong with the Left, sectarianism.
The NPC had a demo on May Day that went really well. The only thing wrong was that we didn't get a lot of people from other groups. I don't know if people thought that they weren't wanted, or they didn't want to work with us or what, but it does point to a big problem the Left has.
The differences between socialists, anarchists and the more radical feminists and greens are mostly a matter of using different words for the same things. Debates like the ones over censorship and violence are mostly carried on within groups rather than between them. The capitalists can stick together, so we have to as well. Every group has its share of idiots, and there's a danger of blaming everyone for something done by one person or one faction.
All this might sound really obvious, but if you've ever tried to get a lot of Left wing groups working together you'd know that some people aren't getting the message.
James Hutchings
member of the Newtown Political Collective
Sydney
Guns in Bougainville
The Prime Minister Mr Howard seems greatly disturbed over what happened in Tasmania and talks of clamping down on automatic weapons in this country. But before Mr Howard gets too far ahead in cleaning up gun laws here, his Government needs to stop supplying guns and ammunition to murder people fighting for their freedom in Bougainville. People are being brutally murdered with guns and ammunition manufactured and supplied by his Government to the PNG Government.
I'd like to remind Mr Howard that his Government is also engaged in the business of murder. In your zeal to clean up automatic weapons in Australia, I ask you to begin at the Pentagon in Canberra. No more automatic weapons or ammunition to the PNG Government; withdrawal of Australian helicopters engaged in the business of killing; free, direct medical assistance to those freedom-loving people; and recognition of the struggle for independence for the Bougainville people.
WG Fox
Brisbane
[Edited for length.]