BY NICK FREDMAN
LISMORE — Two hundred people participated in the September 29 Global Justice Carnival, originally intended as a pre-Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting (CHOGM) convergence for the Northern Rivers area. The carnival demanded an end to war, racism and corporate control.
A spokesperson for the Global Justice Alliance, which organised the event, told Green Left Weekly that the event was a big success despite rumours that it would not go ahead after CHOGM was cancelled on September 28.
The carnival featured bands, singers, hip-hop artists, and giant puppet shows. Speakers included representatives of the Bundjalung indigenous community, the Rainforest Information Centre, Friends of the Earth, the Greens, the Socialist Alliance and independent anti-deregulation dairy farmer candidate Tom Cooper.
On September 30 a "peace gathering" organised by the newly formed People Uniting for Peace featuring mainly religious speakers also attracted 200 people.
Socialist Alliance and the Global Justice Alliance are planning further actions against the war.