While the US flag flew at half-mast in memory of the victims of 11 September 2001, representatives and supporters of the Latin-American communities in Melbourne held a small rally to remember the victims of the US-inspired coup in Chile on the same day in 1973, and to demand an end to US interference in the affairs of Latin America.
Young Victorians challenged to have their say for a sustainable future.
The Future Shots Sustainability Film Challenge is now open. www.futureshots.com.au
If you are living in Victoria and aged 21 and under, Future Shots invites you to create a short film (three minutes or less) that answers the question Sustainability: What’s it all about?
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.
Two campaigns coincided in the rally held on Tuesday in Lygon Street outside Trades Hall - opposition to legislative changes threatening to water down work safety laws in Victoria, and demands for pay equity for women.
We are now less than two weeks away from the Switch off Hazelwood – Switch on Renewables, day of peaceful community protest.Things are going incredibly well in the lead up to the weekend of camping and action for renewable energy. There have been multiple skill shares where people have learnt why we are protesting at Hazelwood, what sort of events are planned throughout the day (and evening before), how they can form affinity groups to plan their own involvement in the day.
While the repression following the coup d'etat continues in Honduras so too do the protests, both there and around the world: last Tuesday was a global day of action called by Via Campesina Honduras (http://www.viacampesina.org), and in Melbourne LASNET held a meeting that evening at Friends of the Earth in Collingwood, followed by a rally at Federation Square on Saturday August 15.
On August 2nd, 10 protesters expressed their dissent against the proposed 3 billion dollar desalination plant to be built at Wonthaggi by entering the site. Two protesters chained themselves to the fence of the site for two hours whilst a protest caravan was parked over the site entrance.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/protesters-to-renew-campaign-against-d...
Following the recent ousting of the democratically elected president and the subsequent repression of dissent, Indigenous and grassroots organisations in Honduras have appealed for international solidarity - see Honduras Resiste http://hondurasresists.blogspot.com/2009/07/report-of-repression-in-tegu....
Coming out of ACMI at Federation Square on my way to a rally in support of the people of Honduras - report coming soon - my eye was caught by an unexpected sight across the way in front of the Australian Racing Museum - which was otherwise advertising the celebration on Sunday 2 August of the traditional "horses' birthday":
There is a short video of the protest on EngageMedia - http://www.engagemedia.org/Members/pc/videos/peta-1aug09.mpg/view - also available on YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvZPOxk9Klw
