Pip Hinman, Sydney
Plans are underway in Melbourne and Sydney for "End the lies" demonstrations on the Sunday before the federal election. If the election is on August 7, then protests will take place on August 1. Anti-war coalitions across Australia will discuss making this a national day of action.
On June 21, student, community and peace organisations meeting in Sydney decided, after some debate, on "End the lies: Troops out! Howard out!" as the main rallying call.
Anna Samson from the Stop the War Coalition told Green Left Weekly: "We want to see this Howard government go, because of its contempt for people. But we also know that the ALP won't be much better."
Samson said she believed the movement in Australia had a special duty as the first of the "coalition of the willing" countries to have its national election this year. "We want to send a clear message to the world — John Howard doesn't speak for us. Just like in Spain, where mass protests forced out the conservative pro-war government, we want to do the same here."
Robert Alcock, a refugee advocate and weekend film-maker, told GLW that he's keen on the pre-election rally "because John Howard is the biggest threat to the security of this country". He's also keen to counter the view that "we've all lost our humanity".
"Never before have I felt that Australians have been so uninformed, misinformed and lied to. We're so busy trying to make a dollar, but it's not much good having a happy hip pocket if you know you're being targeted as part of the coalition of unjust, corporate greedy Western nations."
There was agreement that the protest should be built as large as possible and that participating groups, unions and individuals should be encouraged to also produce their own material.
The ad-hoc "End the lies" Sydney organising group includes activists from local peace groups, the East Timor oil campaign, the Greens, Socialist Alliance, Stop the War Coalition, Refugee Action Coalition and TAFEs. Its next meeting is on July 5 and details can be found at <http://www.stopwarcoalition.org>.
In Melbourne, the Victorian Peace Network steering committee decided unanimously on June 22 to recommend that its affiliates meeting on June 29 adopt the same demands as Sydney. In moving the motion, Bill Deller said that the VPN could also consider a second poster with "End the lies: Troops out" for those affiliates who find it easier to mobilise their networks this way.
But, as he told GLW, "It is crucial that the peace movement continue to highlight the fact that the occupation is the problem. It is no comfort to have our worst fears realised over the last two years, but important in the context of the election to remind voters that Howard and the Coalition were wrong at every level. There will be no peace in the Middle East while Coalition forces remain in Iraq."
Deller didn't think that the Iraq war would determine the outcome of the election, but along with anger about refugee policy, it could drive some supporters away from the Coalition. "Those who agree with the peace movement will readily agree that the vile creature that is our Prime Minature must go."
The Queensland Peace Network decided at its executive meeting on June 17 to support a pre-election rally, although the theme was hotly contested. A compromise "Time for a change" theme will be put to its next affiliates meeting.
From Green Left Weekly, June 30, 2004.
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