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Catholic workers arrested blockading military's road to perdition

ACTION DESCRIPTION

Australian Catholic Workers, Jim Dowling and Ciaron O'Reilly were arrested this morning while blocking a major military access road to the Talisman Sabre 09 exercises being held at Shoalwater, central Queensland, Australia. Along with seven other anti war activists, the pair blockaded the road for over and hour and a half, and prevented more than a dozen US Army Jeep Troop carriers from entering the area.

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Arrests @ war games in road block

2 Arrests as Military Traffic Blocked at Shoalwater Bay
Professional Press Photographs and video footage of the action available from Thomas Day 04234 12171
For further comment or interview Sean O'Reilly 04237  49946

Two veteran members of the pacifist Catholic Worker movement, Jim Dowling and Ciaron O'Reilly, were arrested this morning after blockading the main access road for the U.S. and Australian military to the Shoalwater Talisman Sabre exercise area for one hour and a half. More than a dozen US Marine Troop carriers were prevented from entering the area.
 

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SOS support for G20 defendant

As mentioned in an update to an earlier post, one of the actions organised in connection with the current Students of Sustainability conference being held at Monash University - http://www.studentsofsustainability.org/ - was a demonstration of support for Sina Brown-Davis now on trial at the County Court on charges of riot, affray and criminal damage. These photos of the solidarity action have been supplied for posting here.

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Peace set to trump war games: Protesters gear up for action – packed weekend

Members of peace, environment and church groups have started gathering in the Rockhampton region to protest and disrupt the Talisman Sabre war games which started this week.

Calling themselves the Peace Convergence, the network has been encouraging community members to take peace action against the exercises which take place in the Shoalwater region from July 6 – 26.

Several small group actions have already caught the public eye as the Peace Convergence gears up for its main weekend of action - this weekend Friday July 10 – Sunday July 12.

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C2C Festival Report

The C2C Festival was a gem of an event; small but glittering in its beauty and goodwill.

The crowd was never bigger that 300 but oh, what a beautiful feeling. It lost money but built confidence amongst the young organisers who all worked so well together under Renton Bishopric's leadership

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Afghanistan: Karzai builds warlord alliance

By Hamish Chitts

On August 20, Afghanistan will conduct its second presidential election under the US-led occupation. Current Afghan President Hamid Karzai is the clear frontrunner in the election, despite a December Gallup poll having found that only 10% of Afghans supported Karzai’s government. Karzai was handpicked by the US to head the Afghan government during the US-led invasion in late 2001.

Australian Doctor and Native American speak out against war and war games…

Friends of the Earth Brisbane
www.brisbane.foe.org.au
Media Contact: 0411118737

July 6, 2009

Australian Doctor and Native American speak out against war and war games…
film highlights how war threatens environment, peace in our region

Dr Sue Wareham OAM, President of the Medical Association for the Prevention of War, and Native American peace activist, Judith le Blanc, will be in the Brisbane next week to raise their concerns about Operation Talisman Sabre, US – AUS joint military exercises set to start on July 6.

Peace Activist Jo Vallentine arrested in Fremantle protest against US Military

Peace activist arrested, ordered to stay away from US sailors after peaceful banner waving protest
> 4th July 2009, 15:30 WST
>
> Veteran peace activist Jo Vallentine has been arrested for a breach of the peace following her participation in an anti-nuclear and peace rally on the Fremantle wharf this morning.
> Ms Vallentine, 63, was arrested after being given a move on order by WA police during a peaceful protest near the E-Shed market car park.
>

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Blockade of depot supplying Talisman Sabre war games 2009

The gates of Australian Army at Rockhampton Airport were blocked this morning (July 6th. 09)
By a group of Christian anti-war activists. The depot is presently deploying U.S. and Australian military personnel to Talisman Saber 09 exercises taking place at nearby Shoalwater Bay.
Melbourne activists Rev. Simon Moyle (Baptist, Urban Seed, Insipiral), Jacob Bolton (Jahworks),

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Byron Whale Watch Operators + Conservationists oppose Japans Humpback kill plan

Photos of todays Whale Watching action. Photographer Miranda Denner. free to use

Byron Whale Watch Operators + Conservationists oppose Japans Humpback kill plan

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Al Jazeera West Papua documentary Censored

Melbourne film-makers documentary ‘Pride of Warriors’ was scheduled to screen on Al Jazeera English channel last night at 6:30pm. In cooperation with the 3rd largest English television broadcasters, the film had been made to uncover secret human rights abuses in the Indonesian Province of West Papua. It appears that the channel bowed to pressure from the Indonesian Government and removed the documentary hours before it was due to be aired.

Catholic workers to resist military excercise & Af/Pak war

Talisman Sabre 09 is a biennial exercise that involves 20,000 U.S. & 7,000 Australian troops, fighter jets and warships, it is taking place in July in central Queensland, Australia.
Australian complicity in the U.S. war on the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan includes the present deployment of 600 Australian (SAS, Special Ops and infantry) troops in Afghanistan, detention in Australia of Afghani refugees fleeing the war and daily targeting information for U.S. bombardment coming from the U.S. N.S.A Pine Gap near outback Alice Springs.

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6 Australian graf artists gaoled in UK

Six Australian graffiti artists were found guilty of painting British trains and have been gaoled in London.

The gang of six known as the AMF Crew painted internationally before being caught in London and found guilty of conspiracy to commit criminal damage. Other work by AMF has since been spotted in Japan and Australia.

Migaloo the white whale heads north to QLD into danger

Migaloo the white whale is migrating north, risking sonar attacks and the live firing exercises of military war games.

Migaloo has been widely reported in the media as an iconic Australian animal. The rare white whale is joining thousands of other whales migrating north and was last spotted just south of Brisbane, at the Gold Coast on July 1st.

At his current rate of progress, he should reach central QLD at about the same time as the US-Aust joint war games, Talisman Sabre, are conducting live firing exercises on land and sea in the Great Barrier Reef and at Shoalwater Bay.

Peace Convergence Newsletter: July 2009

Dear Friends

Operation Talisman Sabre begins in days!!!

Attached is a detailed program of events for the Peace Convergence (a calendar of events is also available on the website http://www.peaceconvergence.com). Here is a quick overview of the program:

Fri July 3 - Sun July 5 Committed2Change Festival see http://www.committed2change.org
Sun July 5 1pm- 6pm Talisman Saber 2009 Open Day (see below)
Sun July 5 7pm Film Screening: Scarred Lands and Wounded Lives: the Environmental Impact of War
Thur July 9 5:30pm Nonviolent Direct Action Training

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QLD councils, Indigenous groups move towards formal agreement

Native title claimants and five shire councils in central Queensland
have set the ball rolling for negotiations to develop an indigenous
land use agreement (ILUA).

Today in Mt Isa, representatives of the Kalkadoon People and the
Boulia, Burke, Cloncurry, McKinlay and Mt Isa shire councils signed a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) that commits them to an
agreement-making process.

Media Release
26 June 2009 PR09-13

Native title claimants and local government commit to negotiations

Native title claimants and five shire councils in central Queensland

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