Rallies were held around Australia on Friday 29 October under the banner of ‘Jobs with Justice’ and an end to the Northern Territory Intervention as part of a National Day of Action. The rally in Melbourne attended by approximately 500 people ended with a sit-down at a major city intersection, bringing peak-hour traffic to a halt for over twenty minutes. Related: Youtube footage of sit-in -- Report on rally from Melbourne Ant-Intervention Collective -- More photos on Melbourne Protests Weblog
The rally began at the State Library, where Indigenous activist Sharon Firebrace introduced a series of speakers ranging from Gary Foley and Robbie Thorpe (pictured above) to Greens Federal MP Adam Bandt, Victorian Trades Hall President Kevin Bracken, Socialist Councillor Steve Jolly, David Glanz of the Melbourne Anti-Intervention Collective, Colombian unionist Parmenio Poveda, , NTEU Indigenous Coordinator Adam Frogley, and Wurundjeri elder Ringo Terrick, who delivered a Welcome to Country.
Organisers, the Melbourne Anti-Intervention Collective had good reason to be pleased with the turnout, estimated at around 500 at its peak, though as one speaker reminded the rally, there need to be vastly greater numbers on the streets if the aim of ending discrimination is to be achieved.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY PETER VIA Melbourne Protests Weblog
Links: http://jobswithjustice.wordpress.com/ http://www.stoptheintervention.org/ http://www.maicollective.blogspot.com/ http://rollbacktheintervention.wordpress.com/
