BY JULES GREEN
HOBART — Even before the year's first meeting of the Hobart Peace Coalition was held on February 2, the city's umbrella anti-war organisation, organised and spontaneous expressions of anti-war sentiment have mushroomed.
Despite being organised at short notice, an emergency protest rally attracted 400 participants on February 1. Chaired by Socialist Alliance activist Alex Bainbridge, the rally heard from Bronwen Meredith of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Greg Barns of the Democrats and Shua Garfield of the socialist youth organisation Resistance.
Many rally participants were inspired to take posters and information to help build the next major anti-war rally, to be held on February 15, and to find out about the newly forming Youth and Student Coalition Against War. Twenty-five sheets of anti-war petitions were filled with signatures and people signed the back of petitions after space ran out.
The rally coincided with media reports of Liberal opposition leader Rene Hidding calling on Deputy Premier Paul Lennon to discipline a public servant who had used department email facilities to advertise the rally. While rally organisers were unsure of the identity of the public servant, they considered his/her action a reflection of widespread individual anti-war initiatives.
Other signs of such initiatives include the display by one person
of large signs with details of anti-war rallies on the side of his campervan in prominent locations around Hobart. A Sandy Bay resident painted anti-war slogans on a bedsheet and hung it out their window.
The Socialist Alliance has formed an anti-war campaign group to organise its members and supporters to help build the growing anti-war movement. The group meets weekly on Thursday nights. For information on how to get involved, phone Darren on (03) 6234 6397.
From Green Left Weekly, February 5, 2003.
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