Newcastle

The Stringer weekly newsletter - March 16

The Stringer went live February 20. Some of our stories from the last week include:

Quality of life for Australians 2nd only to Norway, but for Aboriginal peoples 122nd

March 16th, 2013

Once again the United Nations has ranked Australia second behind Norway in its annual Human Development Index – for public health, social wealth, education, even happiness. But if Aboriginal peoples go stand-alone they would not be part of that 2nd rating – they would be 122nd.

Coal dust and climate change: Newcastle residents march against proposed T4 coal loader

Up to 1500 people attended a rally in Newcastle today in opposition to a fourth coal loading terminal being built. Gathering at Customs house at 10am, people marched to Civic Park, chanting 'our water, our health, more precious than your wealth' and 'one two three four, no to T4'. Protestors are concerned with the impact of coal mining on agriculture and water resources, coal dust pollution risks to public health, environmental concerns, and contribution to global climate change.

Promotion: 

Anarchist intervention in the Sydney Uni strike

In the early hours of March 7 some anarchists broke into the abandoned St Michaels College building on City rd on the Sydney Uni campus.

(For three months in 2011 this large abandoned space, renamed the “Chapel of the Insurrection” was liberated from the Catholic Church, their bullshit morality and their vast landholdings. Inside dozens of comrades, students, street youth and wage slaves experimented with new ways of living and found love, laughter and joy. Inside we built barricades and outside a large vegetable garden.)*

Queers against Cops respond to attacks

Following the 2013 Mardi gras parade (the corporate gaystream shadow of a radical and militant queer protest in 1978) a video was released online that showed a young shirtless man being choked by a police officer, then slammed headfirst into the pavement while handcuffed.

Outrage quickly spread across the Queer community and far beyond. Within two days, Community Action Against Homophobia (CAAH) called for a demonstration against police brutality on Friday 8th of March. The rally was to gather at 6pm Taylor square, then to march to Surrey Hills cop shop then back.

Promotion: 

How to have fun at corporatised O-Week

On Wednesday 27th February, some student dissidents and fellow rebels from Sydney University staged some O-Week counter-activities. O-Week, which runs for three days in the week before semester begins, provides corporations and banks, major sponsors of the Sydney University “Union” who organize O-Week, the opportunity to present a friendly face to the student public at their stalls, offering games, prizes and giveaways.

Anarchists attack Australia

In the early hours of January 26th we tipped a bucket of paint on a statue celebrating the First Fleet in Brighton Le Sands, Botany Bay.

We later threw numerous paint bombs at a massive statue of James Cook in Hyde Park, who according the plaque on the monument “discovered this territory in 1770”.

We sprayed stencils reading: "FUCK AUSSIE PRIDE", "DESTROY COLONIAL AUSTRALIA" & "PROUDLY UNAUSTRALIAN" throughout the city, Redfern, Newtown, Marrickville, Sydenham and at Bicentennial Park and Carss Park, where ‘Australia Day’ celebrations were to take place.

Keywords: 

Brutal gang-rape in India is a call to everyone, worldwide, to ensure changes

Gerry Georgatos - Inhumanity knows no bounds just as equal to humanity's limitlessness. Recently, in Pakistan a fourteen year old school girl was shot the in head by the Taliban for speaking up for the right of young girls to an education. They stopped the school bus bringing home the children and shot the young Malala. On March 31 a Ukranian teenager died after a brutal gang rape. On December 16 the ugliest inhumanity was broadcast to the whole world when a 23 year old physiotherapy intern was gang raped on a bus in Delhi.

Promotion: 

Solidarity with Villa Amalias from Sydney

On Thursday the 20th of December in Athens Greece, Villa Amalias squat was raided by riot police and eight comrades inside were arrested. All have been charged with various felonies and misdemeanours and are being held at Athens police HQ till they will be brought again before a judge on the 24th of December.

Anarchists mourn fallen officer

"The Australian people made heroes of none, and raised no idols, except perhaps Ned Kelly, an outlaw.. "
Brian Fitzpatrick

On December 6 police were called to a property in Oakville Sydney over a neighbourhood dispute about a bird aviary.

Keywords: 

Michelle Lovegrove (SBS) interviews journalist Gerry Georgatos returned from Roebourne & Yindjibarndi CEO Michael Woodley

SBS Living Black Michelle Lovegrove interviews Gerry Georgatos on stark contrasts between Yindjibarndi poverty and the wealth nearby, and then Michelle continues on with an interview with Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation CEO Michael Woodley.

https://www.yousendit.com/download/WUJhYnV5Tk1VVG5MYnNUQw

This interviews says quite a lot about it everything wrong in the Pilbara and for Indigenous people all over Australia.