Monthly Archives: April 2014

Australians say NO to cruel cosmetics – lunchtime at Melbourne GPO 19 April

Posted on by

Protesters hold placards forming words 'End Cruel Cosmetics' on steps of old GPO

We chanced on this protest today:

PRESS RELEASE
15th April 2014, Melbourne
Of Beauty and Bunnies

On this Easter Saturday in Melbourne, a demonstration has been organised by the Animal Justice Party in collaboration with the Greens, and a number of Animal Advocacy Groups to end testing on live animals for the cosmetics industry.

In March, Senator Lee Rhiannon of the Greens presented the End Cruel Cosmetics Bill 2014 to the National Senate to ban the manufacture, sale and import of cosmetics that have been tested on animals into Australia.

Getting this Bill passed in Australia (following on from the example set by the European Union, Israel and India) will be a fantastic achievement and is supported by Animals Australia, Animal Effect, Animal Liberation NSW, Animal Rights La Trobe, Be Cruelty Free, Choose Cruelty Free, Humane Research Australia, PETA Australia and the RSPCA.

Many of the groups and individuals who want to see this legislation passed will be gathering in the Bourke Street Mall (outside the GPO) from 12:30 until 14:30 on Saturday 19th April.

Nyree Walshe, campaign manager for the AJP says “Ironically it is Easter time, when we all celebrate the Easter Bunny as a symbol of new life, forgetting that the beauty products we use everyday have been tested on bunnies, causing them pain, suffering and death. So we will be in bunny ears, bunny suits, and bunny masks, to let the Government know we are HOPPING MAD* about cruel cosmetics and we want this Bill passed.”

*Note the initials of the retail store that has now occupied the building [our comment].

Apart from the Animal Justice Party, who organised the event, there were representatives of Choose Cruelty Free, and no doubt also of the Greens. It was fairly busy at the time, and with the theme of Easter Bunnies much in evidence around the city, a good choice of time and place.

We were not able to stay, but according to an entry of the Facebook page of Magda V-Stopanimalcruelty Moo, co-host of the event, there was to be another animal-cruelty related protest immediately following this one:

As part of the World Week for Animals in Laboratories, Australian Antivivisection Activists will be holding an information session/demo about vivisection in Australia. We aim to educate the general public on the millions of animals who are killed each year in Australia in needless and cruel experiments. Vivisection is an archaic scientific fraud and there are many valid scientific methods which are not receiving the proper funding, due to the wastage of funds on vivisection. Tax payers should be reminded of the cruelty and the lack of scientific validation of animal testing.
We will also be highlighting the plight of animals who are transported by Air France-KLM, who are the number 1 transporter of laboratory animals in the world and are responsible for the transport of tens of thousands of animals to cruel experiments across the globe. Air France is now the only major passenger airliner still participating in this cruel trade.

See https://www.facebook.com/events/661217570593281/

Some more photos, self-explanatory:

Protester holds placard with rabbits and blotched human face

Closeup showing large red sore on rabbit's sideCloseup of placard with list of barnds implicated

Walk for Justice for Refugees – Palm Sunday 13 April

Posted on by

Banner at head of march - Jusitice for Refugees

Growing community awareness of the reality of the current Australian government’s treatment of asylum seekers has led to a revival of protest, with attendances at rallies not seen for years. Yesterday’s turnout in Melbourne was variously put at ‘as many as 3,000’ (ABC) to a rather extravagant ‘60,000 might be a conservative figure’ (post on the Walk for Justice Facebook page). Asked for my estimate by one of the organisers towards the end of the event I put the figure at ‘close to 10,000’, and there now seems to be fairly general agreement with this, at least on Facebook. Mainstream media, in so far as it reports the event at all, persists in putting it much lower. However that may be, it was an impressive demonstration.*

(The tag cloud doesn’t include items in the pre-2008 archive, so for anyone who might be interested or wants a reminder, here is a list of some earlier refugee rallies in Melbourne as reported here, including two on Palm Sunday:

2002
Rally and March for Refugees – 2 February
Rally for Refugees – Palm Sunday, 24 March
National Day of Action [for refugees] – 23 June
Tampa Day – Rally for Justice – 30 August

2003
World Refugee Day – 22 June

2004

Refugee Hope March – Palm Sunday, 4 April
World Refugee Day – 20 June
)

The format was conventional**: music to warm up, speakers, march, more speakers to wrap up. Music beforehand was provided by Celine Yap, aka Little Foot – folk, Kavisha Mazzella, and Victorian Trade Union Choir; other choirs were stationed at stages along the route of the march down Swanston Street to the gardens opposite the Arts Centre. Speakers included the Rev. Alistair McCrae, past president of the Uniting Church of Australia, Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, and three young asylum seekers, one of whom read a harrowing letter from a mother in detention… MC was Corinne Grant.

Views of the rally on the State Library lawns:

In the crowd at the State Library:

On the march:

At the end (we were not able to stay for the closing speeches, but left to the sound of Little Foot singing Bob Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind” …):

*Some media reports:

The Age
The Guardian
PressTV

** Though a new feature was the ringing of church bells following special services at the cathedrals and other churches – see the media release below:

City Church Bells to Ring out for Walkers on Palm Sunday

Across Australia in cities and regional towns Palm Sunday is being observed by Faith communities, Academics, School students and ordinary Australians who are deeply disturbed by the current treatment of refugees and asylum seekers.

In Melbourne bells from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and St.Michael’s and St.Francis churches will ring out across the city as the WALK FOR JUSTICE FOR REFUGEES begins. The walk is organised by the Refugee Advocacy Network, working with a broad coalition of groups from across all ages, faiths and political persuasions.

Churchgoers from St. Paul’s, St. Patrick’s, Wesley Church and the Welsh Church will converge on the State Library to join the Walk. Church leaders, Professors and academics, Union leaders, School students, Community and Human Rights groups as well as politicians from the Greens and Labor parties will gather at the State Library. Choirs will serenade the walkers at the major intersections along Swanston Street.

Speaking on behalf of the Refugee Advocacy Network, Sister Brigid Arthur said: “We are walking for Justice for Refugees, because ‘stop the boats’ is not a policy worthy of Australia. It’s a cruel way of shirking our moral and legal obligations. People have a right to seek asylum in Australia regardless of how they travel here”.

Sister Brigid went on to say: “If we are genuinely concerned to stop people drowning at sea, then we must provide, safer ways for people to seek asylum in Australia. We must work closely with other countries not to stop the boats, but to protect vulnerable people fleeing war and persecution.”

Australians are calling for an end to the current policies. They are asking that we:

• Stop sending asylum seekers offshore and process claims for asylum here in Australia

• Close Australia’s detention centres

• Arrange for fair & speedy processing of Asylum Claims and Family Reunion

• Stop deporting people to places of danger

• Substantially increase our refugee quota

Walkers for Justice for Refugees will gather on Palm Sunday 13th April from 1.30pm for a 2.00 pm.
Start at the State Library, Cnr Swanston & La Trobe Streets Melbourne before setting off for Princes Bridge.

Contact Sister Brigid Arthur 0408101134
Marie Hapke 0409252673
Pamela Curr 0417517075