Feature

Melbourne attacks on Indians “reflect Australian racism”

MEDIA RELEASE

Goodooga, 17 September 09 -- A northwest NSW Aboriginal political activist says the assault on four Indian men outside a bar in Melbourne this week is representative of the hidden racism that exists in Australia.

Michael Anderson, last survivor of the four Black Power activists who set up the Aboriginal Embassy outside Parliament House in Canberra in 1972, says politicians remaining mute on these racist attacks reflects badly on Australia as a nation.

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Switch off Hazelwood coverage

The direct action Switch Off Hazelwood held on September 12th-13th was a huge success for the Climate Change Movement in Victoria. Over 500 people attended the non-violent direct action which resulted in 22 people being arrested and wide media coverage. The day as promised was one of empowering and creative civil disobedience demanding governments switch off coal and switch on renewables.

Read more. More photos: here and here. Links to corporate press newspaper coverage. Links to corporate tv coverage. Links to You Tube citizen journalism. Read Merryn Redenbach's speech.

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Australian water companies' link to Israeli company stealing West Bank water

This Friday, 3 coaches of Israeli peace workers went on a water convoy to the Palestinian village Qarawat Bani Zayid near Ramallah. In the hot August heat, this village and five others have been suffering from severe and prolonged water shortages. This hasn't been caused by drought - but by Israeli political interference.

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Climate emergency: Thousands march for action across Australia

On June 13, 2009 thousands of people around Australia rallied for action on Climate Change, calling for 100% renewable energy by 2020 and demanding that Australia must make the shift from fossil fuels to wind, solar and other available renewable technologies. Rallies were held in capital cities around Australia, with people siting down outside Kevin Rudd's city office in Sydney and a sitdown protest in front of the Melbourne Town Hall where the Victorian State ALP conference was ocurring.


Perth Indymedia | Melbourne Photos, Takver's Photos, Melbourne Protests, Rally Video, Damien Lawson video | Sydney Report, Youtube Video | Brisbane Report

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Wonthaggi protest highlights desalination issue for Melbourne

One person was arrested when protesters carrying two banners walked onto the Desalination Plant proposed site near Wonthaggi on May 9. The occasion was a rally at the gates of the proposed site organised by Watershed Victoria and Melbourne supporters.

Photos on Flickr | Action: Get Real on Climate Change | FoE

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Expanding tuna cannery in Papua New Guinea threatens local communities

In Australia the practice of SLAPPS is well known to environmental and social justice activists. A SLAPP or Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation has been around in practice since the 70s when then Queensland premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen raised many nuisance law suits against his detractors as a matter of course. Such cases keep activists stressed out, cost them money and sometimes affect their ability to voice and enact actions against the company or government they are protesting. However, SLAPPS are a bit of a luxury in non-western nations. In Papua New Guinea the effect of collaboration of corporations and government have run legal and environmental roughshod over local activists and indigenous communities defending their homelands. The outrageous case of the Ok Tedi ruling, effectively making illegal the protest by affected peoples of the Ok Tedi mine, is a glaring example of this cronyism.

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Protest halts Barrick gold mine operations at Lake Cowal

Protests by the Save Lake Cowal campaign have halted work at the Barrick Gold open pit mine at Lake Cowal, western New South Wales, over the Easter Weekend. Lake Cowal is an ephemeral lake lying in the Lachlan River plain within the Murray-Darling Basin, home to many migratory water birds and sacred sites of the Wiradjuri people.

Twenty Eight people were arrested on Sunday when protestors walked onto the open pit mine closing it down. They were authorised to enter the mine site by Wiradjuri Tradtional Owners.

Sydney Indymedia | Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia) | Save Lake Cowal | Protest Barrick Gold | Background - Lake Cowal Video (2006) | Rainforest Information Centre - Lake Cowal Campaign

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Same-sex pensioners set to suffer under law reform

Homosexual Law Reform proposed by the Rudd Government to end discriminatory practices with regard to pensions still has a long way to go according to Mannie De Saxe of Melbourne Lesbian and Gay Solidarity.

According to Mannie "the Federal Government is about to inflict a new method of elder abuse on the Gay Lesbian Transgender and HIV/AIDS communities, particularly those least able to defend themselves against this new form of discrimination, homophobia and other forms of abuse by targeting same-sex aged, disabled and other disadvantaged most vulnerable people."

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G20 policing caused man's death: police coverup and media lies

See London Indymedia for G20 reports, timelines and features.

On Wednesday 1st April during a demonstration against the G20 in London, thousands of protestors were trapped inside a police cordon (kettled) where they were baton charged and crushed by the police. Ian Tomlinson, who appears to have been a passer-by, died during this demonstration outside the Bank of England. The police started a coverup immediately, claiming police and medics had been prevented from attending to him, although eyewitnesses reported seeing Ian Tomlinson being attacked by police shortly before his death. The corporate media parroted these police lies even though eyewitness accounts contradicted this video has surfaced clearly showing Ian was viciously assaulted by riot police from behind and violently pushed to the ground. Riot police and members of the Forward Intelligence Team looked on as a protestor attended to him. Minutes after moving away, Mr. Tomlinson collapsed in a nearby alley and died shortly afterwards.

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