Remembering is an act of resistance - so lets not forget the S11 demonstations that occurred in Melbourne on September 11th-13th in 2000. As part of the global anti-corporate uprising occuring in the South and North, tens of thousands of Melbournians joined hands and armed to shut down the World Economic Forum in Melbourne. Significantly this demonstration also led to the birth of Melbourne Indymedia.
In possibly the biggest direct action in Australia's history, a wide coalition of groups blockaded Crown Casino and successfully disrupted a gathering of the world's neo-liberal leadership. Inspired by the success of the Seattle demonstrations in 1999 in shutting down the WTO, a similarly determined crowd gathered in Melbourne. The day had a carnival atmosphere as the crowds took over the streets around the casino. The backlash the next day from the state was swift and brutal with numerous massive baton charges that injured many. Despite the state violence the protest was a huge success and shows that thousands of people can be engaged in large scale acts of creative non-violent civil disobedience. The movement to tame or replace capitalism goes on nine years later. Check out some of the links bellow for a history lesson on this incredible direct action.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S11_(protest)
http://pandora.nla.gov.au/nph-arch/2000/S2000-Sep-14/http://www.s11.org/