Melbourne Street Medic Collective are Record Breakers!

On April 23rd, 2014, MSMC were part of the Wage Peace Convoy which hustled through the crowded streets of Canberra and broke the world record for most protests in one day.

The Canberra Peace Convergence was a call to peaceful arms by IPAN (Independent and Peaceful Australia Network) for all peace activists to gather at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy. The First Nation people called upon their allies to come stand with them on Anzac Day. They planned on marching unto the Canberra war memorial to demand the memory of their ancestors -whom perished in the Frontier Wars of Australia’s genesis- no longer be ignored.

What happened on that fateful Anzac Day is the tale for our next blog post, suffice to say the history of white men profiteering from acts of genocide and illegal wars continues to this day. The interconnectedness of big business & government with the war machine was what the Waging Peace Convoy had in its sights

The Wage Peace Convoy consisted of a coalition of ‪ affinity groups, such as WACA (Whistleblowers, Activists & Citizen’s Alliance), The Renegade Activists, Christian Anarchists, Peace Pilgrims and many more.

An affinity group is a set of people who share the same idea. Trust is key for an affinity group. Trust & being able to work together. What follows is a story of how Affinity Groups sharing the same goal can accomplish anything!

So are you & a group of friends incensed by illegal wars being fought in your name? Are you sickened by corporations buying your democracy to make a profit off innocent lives?

If so think about this: the likelihood of an arms dealer, missile maker, lobby group or surveillance merchant having a shop front in your city is very high. These companies hide in plain sight. They use the mundanity of their shop fronts to profit from wars.

So do you think your affinity group could also expose these companies & have a crack at beating our record at the same time?

Protest #1: The Aboriginal Tent Embassy

Since 1972 Aboriginal activists have occupied the grounds of Parliament. We joined them as the sun rose for a poignant reminder of the 200 years of war (physical, economic & spiritual) the First People of this land have endured.

 

Protest 02: Old Parliament House

We bore witness to the eternal absence of democracy within this relic of a building. Real democracy is not something to be purchased & spun but belongs out on the streets with the people. Senator Scott Ludlam said it best:

Protest 03: Lockheed Martin

No corporations profits more from perpetual global warfare than Lockheed Martin. They are the world’s largest weapons manufacturer & instrumental in propagating these wars by influencing foreign policy through the use of lobbyists, political campaigns and mass media control

 

Protest 04:  Raytheon

The global arms’ company that brought you cluster bombs & Tomahawk missiles. Their weaponry is being used on – civilian – populations all around the world.

 Protest 05: K.B.R.

From building military bases to ‘investing’ in post-war reconstruction KBR profit from each and every aspect of war. This private contractor has received U.S. military contracts for WWII, Vietnam, Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan and Iraq.

 

Protest 06: Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA)

What better place to protest war than on a military base! ADFA is where young people are trained to kill and not to question authority.

Protest 07: Department of Defence

The Department of Defence the Bureaucrats of Evil: complicit in US geopolitical strategy. Illegal wars, mass surveillance, illegal drone strike programs, assassinations, torture and now the persecution of Asylum Seekers, the DoD is busy smearing your tax dollars in blood.

 

Protest 08: Defence Signals Directorate

You can learn the horrible truth about Canberra’s “Big Eagle on a stick” by watching this video:

Protest 09: ASIO

One of the most normal office blocks in the country. The car park is full of normal sedans and hatchbacks, customised plates and standard commuter motorcycles. Office workers having smoko out the front and a children’s playgroup and playground by the side of the building.

The only difference is that this is the building in which the government monitors and disrupts the lives of normal Australians: Trade Unionists, activists, Muslims, anyone that is deemed a threat or a potential source of use.

And here’s the kicker: ASIO has a long history of seeking out ex-soldiers, patriots and good-minded fellows to work for them, spy and gather intelligence on normal people but, when crunch time has hit, has then left their assets alone and abandoned. The recent TV series “Persons of Interest” had a number of stories from ex-ASIO operatives who described the ultimate feeling of isolation from friends and family and disconnection from wider society as they couldn’t establish real friendships.

If this is what they do to their own people, what do they do to their enemies?

by Zoidberg

Protest 10: Australian Strategic Policy Institute

ASPI claims to be a “non-partisan” Think-Tank that advises the Australian military & gouvernment. It is so “non-partisan” that it is is sponsored by: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, SERCO & Transfield to name but a few from our war profiteers rogue gallery!

 

 

To Be Continued …