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Anti-war activist notebook

500 march in Bendigo BY KERRYN WILLIAMS According to the Bendigo Advertiser, on January 31 more than 500 people joined a rally against war on Iraq, marching through the town's streets in "scenes reminiscent of the anti-war-in-Vietnam rallies of

Protesters crash Ruddock's party

BY KAROL FLOREK SYDNEY — More than 100 people took part in a demonstration organised by the Refugee Action Coalition outside a Liberal Party function at Darling Harbour on February 7. The dinner was hosted by NSW opposition leader John Brogden

Socialists run anti-war election campaign

BY LINDA WALDRON MELBOURNE — The Gellibrand Socialist Alliance branch decided on February 5 to contest the March 15 Maribyrnong and Brimbank council elections. The Socialist Alliance promises a “working council for working people”. The

PHILIPPINES: 'War on terrorism' targets the left

BY NICK SOUDAKOFF The Philippines government, in alliance with Washington, is using the "war on terror" as cover for a full-scale assault on the revolutionary left. Immediately after the 9/11 attacks in the US, Manila announced its backing for

Workplace motion on Iraq war

[The following is a model motion for trade unionists on action against a war on Iraq. It is being circulated by members of the Socialist Alliance. If your union or workplace adopts it, please inform the Socialist Alliance at

PAKISTAN: Fighting for women's rights

BY TAMARA PEARSON LAHORE — The first thing I did after crossing the border into Pakistan was catch a bus into the city. Buses in Pakistan are divided in two by a barrier. The first quarter of the bus is reserved for women and their

Librarians strike for pay rise

BY ALEX MILNE MELBOURNE — On February 4, librarians employed at the State Library of Victoria, staged a one-day strike in support of their demand for a 6% pay rise and worker representation on the SLV board. SLV librarians are among the lowest

John Pilger: Why Bush lies about Iraq

US President George Bush's plans to invade Iraq have nothing to do eliminating "weapons of mass destruction", preventing terrorism or ending human rights abuses. An attack on Iraq will be the first phase of a pre-existing strategy to increase US

A woman's place is in the struggle: War won't liberate the women of Iraq

Living conditions for Iraqi women deteriorated dramatically after the 1991 Gulf War. US-enforced sanctions have wrecked Iraq's economy, depriving people of everything from medical supplies and school textbooks to the European beauty products that are

'Don't just vote, change the system!'

BY SUSAN PRICE “Elections results don't change very much for ordinary people.” Surprisingly, this comment was made by Lisa Macdonald, a candidate in the March 23 NSW state elections. But perhaps her comment was not so surprising, since

Depriving the Yorta Yorta of land

Depriving the Yorta Yorta of land BY EMMA MURPHY On December 12, the legal system once again failed the Indigenous peoples of Australia. Since the High Court dismissed the Yorta Yorta people's appeal against a Federal Court decision that they no

Arundhati Roy: 'terrorism is the symptom not the disease'

The Algebra of Infinite JusticeBy Arundhati Roy Flamingo, 2002305 pages, $21.95 (pb) REVIEW BY PHIL SHANNON "How many dead Iraqis will it take to make the world a better place?", asks a waspishly angry Arundhati Roy in The Algebra of Infinite