peace protest

Mission to shut down Darwin's Marine base launched at Lavarack Barracks, Townsville

Media Release 4 June 2012
A national campaign to shut down the recently established US Marine base in Darwin will be launched at the gates of Lavarack Barracks with an open mike Speak Out against the US Alliance and the unveiling of a mural. The campaign has been initiated by long time, itinerant peace activist, Graeme Dunstan of Peacebus.com.

Australia commits to indefinite military occupation of Afghanistan.

The signing of the Long term partnership between Australia and Afghanistan by Julia Gillard and Hamid Karzai at the NATO summit in Chicago on 20th May is being presented by the government and the press as an “aid commitment” as part of the “end of the Afghanistan war”. This is a lie.

Whilst the majority of Australian troops are returning from Afghanistan in 2013, these are the troops involved in training the Afghan army, the agreement is a commitment for Australian Special Forces to occupy Afghanistan indefinitely alongside the U.S. Our Special Forces, the only Australian troops in a combat role, will continue in the name of “security” to operate as defacto assassination squads for the U.S. Peace activist will be saying no to both the U.S. alliance, escalating militarism and the occupation of Afghanistan when they blockade the Swan Island military base where the SAS train in September at the Swan Island Peace Convergence 2012
Related: Text of the Agreement -- Interview with Defence Minister Stephen Smith -- The SAS dirty war -- WSWS analysis

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Darwin residents protest against U.S. bases and Obama visit

Around 20 protestors greeted the visit by Obama to Darwin Parliament on November 17th with a small protest against the proposed new base for U.S. marines in Darwin. This base will see 2500 marines permanently on Australian soil by 2016 and lead to a massive expansion in military training exercises. As clearly spelt out in the World Socialist Website this expansion is clearly about U.S.

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Peace Convergence convener in Court in Rockhampton

Media Release July 27 2011 Graeme Dunstan (68), Convener of Peace Convergence 2011, will be in Rockhampton Magistrates Court Friday 29 July. He will be facing charges arising from his role in assisting Bryan Law in his ploughsharing of the brand new $36 million Australian Army Tiger helicopter at Rockhampton airbase on 21 July. The charges, include two counts of wilful damage, one of unauthorised entry, and one of possession of tainted property, namely a digital camera.

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Talisman Sabre Peace Pilgrimage walkers arrested

Media Release 20th July 2011 Margaret Pestorius, Andy Paine and Robert Jones, the Three Jaegerstaetter Amigos, who trespassed into the Shoalwater Training Facility intent on hindering and disrupting the Talisman Sabre Exercise have been arrested and transferred to the Rockhampton Watchhouse.

After three days the trio had themselves arrested by blockading military transport within the Training Area.

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WGAR News: Urgent UN petition to restore human rights to NT Aboriginal people

Newsletter date: 29 Mar 2011

Contents:
* Urgent UN Petition to restore Human Rights to NT Aboriginal People
* Northern Territory (NT) Intervention
* Background to the Northern Territory (NT) Intervention
* Other Aboriginal Articles

URGENT UN PETITION TO RESTORE HUMAN RIGHTS TO NT ABORIGINAL PEOPLE:

- Petition

'concerned Australians':
Restore Human Rights to NT Aboriginal People
http://www.concernedaustralians.com.au/
"Letter to the Human Rights Commissioner, Navi Pillay, who will visit Australia in May. Your signature is needed by 7 May.

Activists prepare for Geelong court over blocking secret military base

Nine activists will face Geelong Magistrates Court tomorrow (Monday 29 Nov) on charges of obstructing a road and hindering police.

On the 16th of June the nine activists were arrested while blockading the road to Swan Island military base, a military installation heavily involved in supporting the war in Afghanistan.

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British peace activists acquitted over EDO Gaza direct action

In the early hours of 17th January 2009, during Israel’s ‘Operation Cast Lead’ offensive against Gaza, six people broke in to the EDO/ITT weapons’ components factory in Moulsecoomb, Brighton, and caused hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage to the production line. This week in Britain all the activists were acquitted by a jury using the defence of necessity, that they were acting to preventing war crimes by the Israeli Defence Force against Palestinians.

Read some details of the case and the vindication of an acquital at the following links

Victory in court for Stop the Afghan War peace protestors – followed by nine more arrests

Four peace protestors the “Bonhoeffer 4” who trespassed on and successfully shut down for a day, the secretive Swan Island military base on March 31st have had their charges dismissed by a Geelong Magistrate. Despite pleading guilty to trespass, the Magistrate chose to use a little known provision of the crimes act which allowed him to dismiss the charges altogether! Forty protestors soon after returned to the gates of the base for a further protest calling for Australian troops to be pulled out of Afghanistan and nine people who refused to move were arrested for hindering police.

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Protests condemn Israel over attack on humanitarian flotilla to Gaza

Protests in Australia condemned the Israeli attack on the humanitarian aid flotilla to Gaza resulting in the death of 10 civilians and injuries to 30 more including to one Australian. 1500 people listened to speakers and marched through the streets of Melbourne on short notice. In Sydney a crowd of 4000 people marched and listened to speakers with passion and anger. Other protests were held in Brisbane, outside the Israeli embassy in Canberra, and 150 people attending a protest in Perth.

Related: Israel kills peace activists aboard flotilla | Israel: How to explain a massacre | AVAAZ petition | Declaration by Greek activists from Bersheeba Prison | Melbourne Photos (Flickr) | Melbourne videos (youtube) 1, 2 | Melbourne Protests

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