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Melbourne Indymedia is a platform for grassroots media-makers to create radical, accurate, and passionate coverage of struggles and movements working for social, environmental and economic justice. We rely on you to create the articles. All articles published on Melbourne Indymedia also appear on Indymedia Australia. To get involved in the Australian or Melbourne collectives contact us. Eureka protests in Ballarat: from dawn vigil to pool protest In the wee hours of Saturday morning, December 3rd, some 40 people gathered in the dark at the monument in Eureka park in Ballarat. For the last 10 years people have gathered at the monument for a dawn vigil to remember those who died one morning 157 years ago fighting to defend basic rights and liberties. It is a moving ceremony, held in the dark, in the quiet of night and as dawn slowly lightens the sky. If the clouds are in abeyance you can clearly see the southern cross in the sky, that iconic southern constellation that became a symbol for freedom, for rights and liberties and the demand for universal suffrage. Related: photos by Takver | Occupy Melbourne Tent Monsters chase off the Victoria Police! Occupy Melbourne's strategy of "going mobile" to get around the "Notice to comply" orders, continually issued against them by the Melbourne City Council and enforced by the police, was taken to a whole other level today 4th December. Watch the video below to see the Occupy Melbourne "tent monsters" emerge from their tents and literally chase the confused police and council officers out of the Flagstaff Gardens. This is a beautiful example of how creative non-violence can use humour to highlight and undermine the absurd use of state power. The hilarity of these actions does not change the fact that the State is trying to prevent Occupy Melbourne through constant harassment from creating a public space to discuss and organise for a fairer, peaceful and more sustainable world. On the 5th of December the Federal Court will hear a case testing the legality of the Melbourne City Council's actions against OM. May their spirit of resistance stay strong - get down there and support them!
Logging East Gippsland old growth forests destroys wildlife refugia in a warming climate 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).
Solidarity with the Baiada workers: Coles flash mobA flash mob descends on Coles in solidarity with workers on strike from the Baiada Chicken factory in Laverton, Melbourne. Baiada supplies major supermarkets including Coles under the brands Steggles and Lilydale Chicken. And supply fast food chains such as KFC. Baiada workers have been killed and injured due to unsafe working conditions, the mostly migrant workforce are bullied into accepting terrible conditions, and many workers are paid as low as $10 an hour cash in hand, or employed as contractors. Workers and community supporters are maintaining a picket 24-hours a day blocking entry to scab labour and trucks with live chickens.
Support the striking poultry workers at Baiada! On Wednesday 9th of November, workers at Baiada Poultry began indefinite protected industrial action in their campaign for secure and permanent jobs. The campaign under the umbrella of the NUW began when every single worker in the largely migrant workforce at the plant has voted to strike The So far the picketline has come under sustained attack but held strong. Firstly the company employed 30-50 security guards. Then a picketor had their arm broken when a security guard tried to drive through the picketline. The company then successfully received an injunction banning all NUW officials from the picketline. The picketline is relying on community support to now succeed. Lastly on Friday night, 80 police officers rushed the picket line in an attempt to break it but retreated after the line held. Contact Workers Solidarity Network mobile: 0431445978 to find out how to help. Please come to Baiada Poultry (17 Pipe Rd, Laverton Nt) when you can: "nothing goes in, nothing goes out!". Occupy Melbourne Solidarity protest 15t November
Refugees are welcome here! - Rally and march, Melbourne 5 November 2011 The Refugee Action Collective (Victoria)organised a rally and march reiterating demands for an end to mandatory detention and offshore processing. This came in the wake of two events: the High Court decision ruling the government’s intended Malaysia deal illegal, and the drowning deaths of asylum seekers off the coast of Java a few days previously. Among the speakers at the State Library were Mahendra Kusumawardan, refugee activist from Indonesia, and Aran Mylvaganam, a refugee from Sri Lanka. Others included Sister Brigid Arthur of the Brigidine Asylum Seekers’ Project, Kate Jeffery of Labor for Refugees, Louise Newman of the Alliance of Health Professionals for Asylum Seekers, and Jody Betzien of the AMWU. After these speeches at the State Library the rally moved down Swanston Street to Federation Square to hear from Berhan Ahmed of the Greens and Hazara refugee Mukhtar Naza,who read a poem in memory of the 23 Hazaras massacred in Quetta, Pakistan, in September last (see http://melbourneprotests.wordpress.com/2011/10/01/international-day-of-p....) Daniella Olea and Lauren Ireland of RAC-Vic shared the role of MC. Members of The Conch played before the start of the rally.
Occupy Melbourne defying council notice. “Abhorrent” attack says ASU. Protesters who are peacefully assembled at the Treasury Gardens as ‘Occupy Melbourne’ are currently resisting (potentially unlawful) harassment by officers from the City of Melbourne and Victoria Police. The Australian Services Union (servicing Melbourne City Council workers) has called the Council actions “abhorrent”; is not imposing bans but will discuss the matter at its next executive meeting. Protesters earlier today asked people to get to the Treasury Gardens as soon as possible to help them resist this arbitrary abuse of state power. The peaceful group are gathered under the banner of ‘Occupy Melbourne’ which is protesting about the unjust power exercised by the richest 1% of the World’s population against the 99%. Related: OM an important test case for freedom of speech and assembly -- Mike Stuchberry: Bullsh*t -- Occupy Melbourne currently resisting Council Order
Occupation re-established in Melbourne at the State Library A group of participants in Occupy Melbourne have resisted eviction at the State Library and are camping out tonight in what is being called a re-occupation. Occupy Melbourne met at 12pm on the 29th of October at State Library, and went to Treasury Gardens and Bowen Place, where both were consecutively decided as unsafe to occupy. The second General Assembly of the day voted to return to State Library and attempt a reoccupation. Update: WTF happened at Occupy Melbourne on Saturday?
Day 8: Occupy Melbourne – The day after the eviction After the brutal eviction from the City Square, 1000-1500 protestors returned defiantly to the CBD for a rally that was called with 12 hours notice. After meeting Federation Square, the group marched past the city square now fenced and occupied by police and attack dogs. Eventually a General Assembly was held outside Trades Hall where a decision was made to march to the Treasury gardens which will be site of renewed mass occupation next Saturday the 29th. A General Assembly to organise the Re-occupation of Melbourne occured on Tuesday 25th at 6PM outside the State Library. Read the minutes at the Occupy Melbourne Website.
Peaceful Occupy Melbourne protest brutally evicted Breaking News - Re-occupation beginning Saturday 29th Treasury Gardens After six days of peaceful occupation of the city square, and five days before the Queen is due to visit Melbourne, Lord Mayor Robert Doyle warned that if the protestors didn't leave today they would be forcibly removed. The eviction was carried out by 400 police including riot police and dogs. Horses and capsicum spray were also used to attack the crowd at various times. People stood their ground in the square before being removed one by one. Occupy Melbourne then staged a peaceful sit-in in Swanston St which was again brutally attacked. At least 65 people were arrested, most released without charge however it is believed that 5 people remain in custody. The crowd regathered at the State Library in the early evening and have vowed to gather once again - at 12PM in Federation Square, Saturday October 22nd. The struggle against social and economic inequality, against corporate greed and for a real democracy continues tomorrow on the streets of Melbourne and around the world. Blog reports: Mike Stuchbery | Benjamin Solah | Green Left Weekly Live Blog | Simplicity Collective Blog | Nicola Paris | Today I was arrested at Occupy Melbourne | Simon Moyle
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