The following video update was posted on Youtube by Occupysydneymedia on November 19th
Here is a link to the General Assembly minutes for the GA held in Martin Place on November 16th to give you more of an idea of what is being discussed down at Occupy Sydney.
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.
Report of the Resistance to the visit by US President to Canberra Thursday 17 November 2011 by Graeme Dunstan of Peacebus.com
Good to be standing for peace with friends outside the Parliament, while Obama was inside beating a drum for war in the Pacific. All in all it was an evocative witness, few in number, good in feeling and dramatically artful.
Related: Barack Obama & Julia Gillard: We accuse you of complicity in war crimes | Greenleft - Humphrey McQueen - Obama’s marines not welcome here | Photos from Peter Boyle | Darwin protest against Obama and bases | Christine Assange speaks at the Canberra Rally
With the re-erection of tents and marquees at Treasury Gardens on Saturday 12th of November organised non-violent resistance has increased in the face of police raids on the Park. On Tuesday over 100 police arrested three Occupiers whilst removing the First Nations Embassy and Custom House. Later in the week police arrived to take down a marquee which had been named "The Shrine to Free Speech". Late on Friday 19th, police again used a heavy hand whilst working to enforce Melbourne City Councils "Compliance Notices" which effectively ban the protest from the park. However this time police were met with more organised peaceful resistance than they have seen since the day of the eviction from the City Square. Around 50 protestors linked arms around the collective sleeping tent(on a very rain stormy night) when police moved in. Standing strong, 8 people were arrested but released later in the evening. Whilst the police did manage to get the sleeping tent they were prevented from taking all the property they tried to remove. Read an account of the evening at the OM Digest who are providing excellent daily coverage of the protest.
Nísio Gomes, a Guarani shaman shot dead by gunmen,
in a photo taken on 16 November. © Survival
SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL, November 18, 2011 -- Survival International has developing news from Brazil, where masked gunmen have today executed an Indian religious leader in front of his community.
Gunmen surrounded Nisio Gomes, ordering his community to lie on the ground. Witnesses say he was shot in the head, chest, arms and legs. The 59-year-old’s body was then driven away.
On 31st October 2011, Halloween , members of the Broome Community took to the streets against the State governments plan to compulsorily acquire the coast line around JAMES PRICE POINT. For more information please look at savethekimberley.com handsoffcountry.blogspot.com and the many facebook (etc) pages supporting keeping James Price Point and THE KIMBERLEY industry free.
The first people of the lower Murray river and Mallee country were successful in their 14 year old native title claim in the Riverland region of South Australia. At a Federal Court hearing at Lake Bonney today, Justice John Mansfield made a consent determination recognising the First People of the River Murray and Mallee Region’s non-exclusive native title rights and interest over parts of their traditional land in areas of the Murray River around Renmark, Berri, Barmera, Waikerie and Morgan. The claim was originally lodged in 1998.
Dear Radio Friend,
The latest Shortwave Report (November 18) is up at the website http://www.outfarpress.com/shortwave.shtml in 3 forms- (new) HIGHEST QUALITY (128kb)(27MB), broadcast quality (16MB), and quickdownload or streaming form (6MB) (28:59) Links at page bottom
(If you have access to Audioport there is a highest quality version posted up there {27MB} http://www.audioport.org/index.php?op=producer-info&uid=904&nav=&)
An open letter to the President of the United States Barack Obama & Prime Minister Julia Gillard on the occasion of Barack Obama’s address to the Australian Parliament on November 17, 2011.
While you meet in Australia’s Parliament House, Australians concerned about human rights, peace, justice and equality protest against your policies.
Okezone - November 14, 2011 Nurlina Umasugi, Jayapura -- Thousands of Papuans from the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) held a 15 kilometer march on Monday afternoon to demand a referendum for the Papuan people.
The long-march from the Abepura district towards the provincial capital of Jayapura city was closely watched over by Papuan police under the command of the regional and deputy-regional police chiefs. Several sections of road became congested because of the the overflow of protesters packing the main road.
Environmental activists have been out in old growth Forests in East Gippsland this week attempting to stop more rape of our natural environment and protecting important refugia habitats for endangered species. Logging operations on Survey Rd on the Errinundra Plateau were halted by a tree-sit attached to five logging machines and suspended 40 metres up in the tree canopy.
"In the face of recent Baillieu government moves to weaken the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act, conservationists have again taken their message to logging sites where important wildlife habitat continues to be logged for woodchips", said Ms Amelia Young, spokesperson for the conservationists of the Goongerah Environment Centre (GECO) (Facebook).
Police are mobilising 19,000 officers to guard a shipment of nuclear waste from France to north Germany for storage at the end of this month. Scores of thousands of protesters are expected in and around the village of Gorleben.
An "Occupy Police!" call has gone out to gain from the momentum of that worldwide movement by mounting nuclear protests across the country to keep police busy and so weaken their presence in Gorleben.
"Egypt, Insights Into a Revolution"
A documentary about the Egyptian revolution
Cairo, April 2011. Two months after the fall of Mubarak regime, bloggers, activists, artists, opinion leaders or simple citizens revisit their Egyptian revolution. How did they felt during the eighteen days of protests who eventually forced Mubarak to abdicate on February 11, 2011 after some thirty years of an autocratic presidency? How did the revolution change their lives? What are their hopes and fears whereas Egypt is slowly moving towards democracy?
Right now, the US Congress is debating a law that would give them the power to censor the world's Internet -- creating a blacklist that could target YouTube, WikiLeaks and even online political campaigning groups like GetUp!,Avaaz, etc.
Under the new law, the US could force Internet providers to block any website on suspicion of violating copyright or trademark legislation, or even failing to sufficiently police their users' activities. And, because so much of the Internet's hosts and hardware are located in the US, their blacklist would clamp down on the free web for all of us.
Today (16/11/11), according to the OM Digest "at around 8, council officers returned with a much larger police support: four “Public Order Response” (Riot Squad) 4WDs, three unmarked police vans, three squad cars, two prisoner transport trucks and between 100 and 120 police officers". The police moved in taking down the Indigenous Embassy and Customs House which had been erected on Saturday in the Treasury Gardens. Three people were arrested during the raid for non-violent resistance. The charge is a council by-law “Hindering a council officer”. An emergency protest occurred at the Town Hall at 11AM.
Related Melbourne City Council sanities Treasury Gardens fails to learn lesson of Zuccoti Park: OM Digest
The police and the Melbourne City Council deny protestors have been “evicted” but they are merely enforcing local by laws about camping by ordering the removal of structures. Of course the fact that Occupy Melbourne is an ongoing 24 hour occupation is ignore. The fact is that a “tent city” style protest requires structures so they are in effect banning this protest and any similar protests. Protestors have also been told to remove “objects and things” which is so broad to be ridiculous.The protest is not banned however an overwhelming police response will be called in if people do anything other than just stand there with no protest signs, equipment or protection from the weather! It is clear that "public space" is now only available for public protests in the most limited of fashion, meanwhile corporations are free to use their financial resources to dominate the landscape of our CBD.
The police defended the use of 100 police on the grounds they had to be prepared. Prepared for what, more non-violent resistance from a protest group which has remained steadfast in its use of non-violence since day one. This level of policing has only one purpose, to intimidate and harass dissent out of existence.
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| Cops line up before the raid | Embassy being dumped onto council truck |
In addition the fact that the tent removed was an “First Nations Embassy” is being ignored. The tent was called the "Customs House" as it was issuing Aboriginal Passports as a statement that Aboriginal sovereignty on this country has never been ceded. Today’s police action was just another “move on” action by the state against Aboriginal people in the same way force has been used ever since 1788 to ensure the crown controls land use in this country. Indigenous elder and activist elder Robbie Thorpe labelled Australia a "Nazi dream" during the police action.
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| The First Nations Embassy the night before the raid |
The shocking footage shows Indonesian soldiers beating West Papuans. © SBS TV/ West Papua Media
SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL, November 16, 2011 - - Alarming video of Indonesian forces shooting, beating and kicking civilians at a peaceful rally in West Papua has emerged ahead of a US visit to the region.
The Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA) picketed the Qantas office and Australian embassy in a show of solidarity for the embattled workers of the Australian flag carrier. “We extend the hand of solidarity to our brothers and sisters at Qantas who are for fighting for job security, decent pay and better working conditions. The struggles they are waging mirror the same demands that we are currently fighting for at PAL,” declared Gerry Rivera, PALEA president and vice chair of Partido ng Manggagawa.
http://traffic.libsyn.com/kaputtradio/kr219.mp3
Collage about the finance woes of today and yesterday with:
Margrit Kennedy, media samples, "Global Economist" by Clarke and Dawe, Now Show excerpts, Clone Wars excerpts, "Occupy Main St. spoof, "Shall I stay, shall I go" by Mitch Benn, Herman Cain's benign nine, nine plan, Silvio Gesell and the Woergl Experiment 1932, German money 900 AD, Nazi money, occupy movement hope
Organisers of the 40th anniversary of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra request radio stations play their promotional material.
They offer a 30-second radio advertisement and a new release single 'Aboriginal Embassy Elder Tribute' song.
They seek 'In Kind' sponsorship for the advertisement and or part of 'Community Announcement' as well as requesting the new single be considered for airplay.
The draft declaration for Occupy Melbourne is a noble and powerful document – a testament to the months of work that has been completed by the working committee. It is scheduled for consideration at this Wednesday’s General Assembly. I like it a lot. As this is such an important document, though, I believe that we need some more discussion and debate (and would be surprised if there is not) There is one very important issue in particular which requires more thought, as I argue below.
