Protesters say 'no' to US submarine
BY ANTHONY BENBOW
FREMANTLE — On April 19, activists gathered at the entrance to Stirling Naval Base on Garden Island, near Rockingham, to protest the presence of the US submarine Key West.
USS Key West was part of the attack on Iraq, and had come directly from the Persian Gulf for a 7-day "rest and relaxation" stopover. The protest also drew attention to the SeaSwap program, under which WA is used for changing US warships' crews, maintenance work on the ships, and firing and bombing are practised on the Lancelin range.
The protest was organised by Fremantle Anti-Nuclear Group (FANG) and supported by the newly formed Fremantle NoWar group. Activists stood silently on the roadway across the entrance to the base, displaying pictures of Iraqi people injured or killed in the war, scattering flower petals and unfurling banners: "Harbour peace, not war" read the main banner. There was a heavy police presence, despite the peaceful nature of the action.
An open discussion followed. FANG activist Scott Ludlam called for more support for the campaign to stop the Seaswap program: "If we don't act to stop this now we will be ten years getting rid of it, and 100 years cleaning up the mess and pollution".
Darwinians call for peace
On April 13, 200 people joined a Palm Sunday rally in Darwin, calling for peace. On the same day, around 60 young people joined a "sk8 against the war".
Rally for peace attracts 3000
BY BILL MASON
BRISBANE — More than 3000 people gathered in King George Square on April 13 for the annual "Rally for Peace", followed by a lively march through the city. While the usual calls for "peace, human rights and justice" were made, opposition to the US-led invasion of Iraq was the dominant theme of the day.
Professor Johan Galtung, director of the Transcend Peace Development Network, urged protesters to boycott US-made products as part of a campaign against the attack. Retiring Brisbane Lord Mayor Jim Soorley urged the rally audience to keep up the anti-war struggle.
Robin Taubenfeld from Everyone for a Nuclear Free Future, refugee-rights supporter Rashida Joseph, Virginia Balmain from Austcare, and Hannah Middleton from the Australian Anti-Bases Coalition also spoke.
Canterbury-Bankstown Peace Group
BY ANDY GIANNIOTIS
SYDNEY — The Canterbury-Bankstown Peace Group was formed in late February by activists inspired by the half-million strong rally in Sydney on February 16. A peace picnic organised to start the group off was attended by about 100 people including the mayor of Bankstown, the Greens and the Socialist Alliance.
The group's activities have included staffing information stalls in Campsie and Bankstown; holding a film night showing the film by John Pilger "Paying the Price: Killing the children of Iraq"; and producing a weekly newsletter to help combat the pro-war bias from the mass media.
Open to all wanting to oppose the series of wars being proposed and carried out by the US government and its military, the Canterbury-Bankstown Peace Group meets fortnightly at the offices of the Bankstown Youth Development Service near the Bankstown train station. For more information, call Marlene on 0401 758 871 or Raul on 0403 037 376.
Anti-war activists target profiteers
BY KERRY VERNON
BRISBANE — On April 16, 30 protesters picketed the offices of Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR), a division of Halliburton, a company once run by US vice-president Dick Cheney.
KBR has been awarded a US$7 billion contract to put out oil fires in Iraq. The normal tendering process was ignored in the race to profit from the US-led invasion.
From Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly, April 23, 2003.
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