by ·Comments Off on Press Release – WACA – Locking down #LockheedMartin

This morning in Melbourne a group of anti-war and pro Palestinian activists shut down two buildings of the global arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

The action is on going at the time of this release with the activists locking down Lockheed Martins access gates and dropping a banner off one of their buildings stating ‘Medicare Not Warfare. Scrap the F35 Deal’. Another banner is attached to their fence and can be seen from the Princess Highway, it reads ‘War Profiteers – Your Tax Dollars Making a Killing’

Kaz Cochrane, co-founder of Whistleblower, Activists & Citizens Alliance (WACA) stated:

“As Australia embarks on yet another violent military campaign in the Middle East we’re asked to accept the justification of moral imperative to rescue ‘desperate people’; the same people our political class dismissed through the cynical euphemism of ‘collateral damage’, when they were killed in the 100’s of thousands by our allied forces over the last 10,” she said, adding “given the Federal cabinet have committed us to this destructive and inept war campaign the Whistleblower, Activists & Citizens Alliance are determined to expose the real motivation to perpetual war – Perpetual Profit.”

So who is buying into Lockheed Martin; the world’s largest weapons manufacturer & beneficiary of war & ‘defense’ expenditure?

By far the largest recent investor in Australia is our Federal Government who have handed over $35 Billion of tax payer revenue to acquire a fleet of F35 aircraft from Lockheed widely reputed to be technological ‘lemons’ while attempting to convince the Australian community to sacrifice their ‘free at the point of service’ medical system which is a foundation stone of our community values and wellbeing.

WACA co-founder Sam Castro stated:

“We are paying a visit to this corporate titan of war to highlight the F35 ‘lemon’ aircraft is a complete waste of Australian tax payers money.”

“Further the Abbott Government’s destructive foreign policy propagates an insidious cycle of political donations; funding of influential political think tanks; resulting in profit making collusion with global financial institutions, which create an agenda of perpetual war sold to the political class in advanced economies, who are entirely dependent on the patronage of heavy weight corporate & banking entities”

Sam Castro added,

“We are also here today to highlight Lockheed Martin’s complicity in the death of the Palestinian people in repetitive military assaults by the Israeli Defense Force as Israel continues to enforce the illegal occupation of the Palestinian Territories. Lockheed Martin demonstrates their capacity to generate and exploit ‘war markets’ by extending their 20 year operation in Israel to assist the IDF in their aggressive military campaigns, with their local CEO Mr Land, stating they want to be part of Israel’s ‘ecosystem’, which we believe can only be characterized as ‘genocidal’ ”

A peep hole view into the incalculable wealth generated for the arms industry and the global financiers who invest in the war market reveals in the build up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq Lockheed Martin’s defense contracts increased from $17 billion to $21.9 billion.

In the first month since Obama’s recent announcement of airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, Lockheed Martin’s share price increased
7% delivering stunning profits to Australian financial institutions invested in the war contractor, including AMP US$33.5M; Westpac US$20M; Commonwealth Bank US$9M; Macquarie Bank US$51M.

Sam Castro stated,

“WACA calls on the Australian Government to scrap the F35 deal and use that money to fund universal healthcare, tertiary education and Indigenous programs. WACA calls for complete economic divestment by our financial institutions from Lockheed Martin and other arms manufacturers. We ask the Australian community to stand up and speak out against the state of perpetual war that serves only to make private corporations like Lockheed Martin wealthy and destroys Australian’s to make clear our intolerance for industries reliant on the perpetuation of human suffering.”

 

by ·Comments Off on Banner Drop by WACA for #Gaza

On Saturday the 2nd of August a group called Whistleblowers, Activists, and Citizens Alliance (WACA) called for members and allies to unite for an action in the city to show our support for Palestine and Gaza in light of the apartheid and unjustifiable extermination of their population by the Israeli State.

Over the last few weeks we have seen the news reports, personal stories, photos and videos come through from Palestine. For the last 3 weeks in Melbourne there have been rallies in the city to condemn the actions of the Israeli State and raise awareness of the issue within the community. At each rally there has been a good turnout, the speeches have been powerful, the energy in the crowd has been palpable. Last Friday’s action still drew a large crowd in spite of Melbourne weather and we remained in #Solidaritywithgaza in not only the rain but also through 2 hailstorms. As many people in the crowd pointed out “Standing in the rain and hail is nothing when those we are in solidarity with are standing in rocket fire and white phosphorous”.

Friday night gaza rally

The reports and images coming through from Gaza has been heartbreaking, seeing the total death toll increase, and the death toll of children rise has been devastating. Listening to the Israeli Government called for the extermination of the Palestinian people has been enraging. The group had decided that more needed to be done to raise awareness in the community, to get the average Melbournian to know about what is happening in Gaza. It was decided that creating as many banners as possible and dropping them around Melbourne’s busiest areas would be the best choice for a snap direct action on a Saturday afternoon.

Sam Castro, one of the organizers of the action and member of WACA had this to say about why we need to have direct actions on the issue of Gaza and Palestine “Nothing can stop the tears and pain that must be flowing in GAZA and around the world for those already murdered in what can only be described as attempted genocide by the Israeli Apartheid State. But we can all resist publicly in our own little ways and in doing so remind each other of our humanity and the truth.  We can let the Palestinians known, that if nothing else we bare witness to the horror being inflicted on those in Gaza and the West Bank. In a violent world dominated by corporations and brutal Empires, we see you Gaza and we bare witness to the crimes of the Israeli State”.

For our drop we managed to make 5 banners with various slogans explaining our position and designed to get as much attention as possible. We decided to drop our largest banner from the Arts Centre wall, where it faced back to Flinders St Station so that anyone on the Princess St Bridge would be able to see it.
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We then placed 3 of the others on the pedestrian bridge between Flinders St Station and Crown Casino, from here anyone along the Princess St Bridge, exiting the back of Flinders St Station or in any of the Restaurants on South Yarra would be able to see the banners.

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Our final banner drop was at Federation Square, this banner received the most amount of positive attention as there was an action going on with the Iraqi Christians against ISIS happening at the other end of the square. Several attendees stopped to have photos with the banner in the back ground and some came and spoke to us as we dropped the banner and posed in our photos.
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The banner drops achieved their goal of informing the community about this atrocity. It was clear from the response of people on the pedestrian bridge that there is a large portion of the community that doesn’t know about Gaza and the ongoing genocide of Palestinians. However people were happy to engage on the topic and were just genuinely unaware and horrified to hear about the issue.

Keep an eye out for more direct actions to come across the city in relation to this issue, but also encourage your affinity groups to make a stand and do other direct actions on the issue if you feel strongly about Gaza and Palestine. It is clear that more needs to be done to educate people in the community, and also to continue to show the people in Gaza that we are witness to their suffering and the crimes against them and that we will continue to stand with them in solidarity.

For more details on the action please check out:

WACA facebook page

To watch a video filmed by WACA regarding the banner drop please watch:

WACA video of Banner Drop

For high resolution photos please check out:

Free Gaza album

Writen by CJ.

 

 

by ·Comments Off on Statement from our medics

The members of MelbSMC have decided to release a statement about our positions on sexual assault in the community and Transphobia.

As a group we actively support all members of the community and therefore we will not be silent on the issue of sexual assault in our community.

We as a collective also want it known that we stand against Transphobia and providing a platform to known transphobics.

 

http://www.anarchistaffinity.org/2014/06/no-platform-for-transphobia/

by ·Comments Off on Street Medic Pro-Tip 33: Foreign Objects – Embedded objects

This pro-tip will show you how to treat a penetrative foreign object.

Foreign Object embedded/penetrating in the body (e.g. arms, legs, head, eye)

These will generally be in the major wound category and Medical attention will always be required, I would strongly recommend as soon as someone approaches you with an embedded object in them to either call an ambulance or get them to hospital.

***DO NOT REMOVE OR MOVE THE OBJECT***

***DO NOT PUT PRESSURE ON THE OBJECT***

We cannot see what damage has been caused internally by the object so we cannot remove it, and pressure should not be placed on it for the same reason. The only time you would consider trying to move the object by shortening it would be if the object is unmanageable in it’s current form (e.g. the person has impaled themselves on a long branch).

Follow the tips below for any embedded/penetrating object

**Creating Padding**

-Take a triangle bandage and stretch it out

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– hold onto the long ends and start to twirl it so it looks more like a rope.

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– Loosely wrap it around your hand, this will provide you with the donut shape.

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Don’t worry about how pretty it looks, it just needs to hold its shape so that we can fit it over the object and bandage it in place with one of the other bandages.

– Place the donut over the protruding object without placing pressure on the object itself

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– Using a bandage, start wrapping over the triangle bandage while avoiding direct pressure to the embedded object.

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This would be the same treatment anywhere on the body, including the eye. Be sure to seek urgent medical attention, and keep the injured person calm and still so that they don’t cause further damage to the limb. If you find yourself in a situation where you don’t have bandages, items of clothing or material can be substituted for the bandages shown here.

by ·Comments Off on Street Medic Pro-Tip 32: Foreign Objects in Eyes and Ears

There are different types of Foreign objects that you may need to treat in the field including eyes, ears, and embedded/penetrative wounds. For this pro-tip we will cover eye and ear complaints that you may face and our next pro-tip will cover the embedded/penetrative wound treatment.

 

Foreign Object in the Eye:

Dust/Grit/Eyelash/Insect

  • Flush the eye using clean water (if you are out in the bush – best to use water from a water bottle instead of a stream or creek).
  • Tilt the head back
  • Rinse the eye (use a sport water bottle with a push top or an eye drop bottle).

If there is an object that is protruding out of the eye (e.g. glass or a stick) please refer to our next pro-tip on how to treat it.

 

Chemical Burn

If a chemical has been introduced to the eye it should be treated as a serious medical problem.

  • Remove any contact lenses (these will hold the chemical in and cause greater problems if they are not removed quickly)
  • Rinse with flowing water for 15 -20 minutes.
  • Cover the eye with a patch
  • Seek further medical assistance, pain is not an indicator of damage with eyes unfortunately, so it is best to seek immediate medical support for any chemical burns. Be sure to find out what chemical it was that they got in their eyes as this may effect the treatment they receive.

 

Pepper Spray

In the event of pepper spray be sure to flush the eyes thoroughly if available use LAW mix (50% Liquid antacid and 50% Water) as it has been shown to be more effective than other treatments such as water and milk.

  • Get the person to lay down/lean back
  • Ask them to remove any contacts they may be wearing as this traps the pepper spray
  • Rinse their face first quickly with water to remove residue that may be sweated/rubbed back into the eyes after treatment
  • Using a spray bottle/sports bottle flush the eye from the tear duct outwards. You may need to hold their eyes open for them.
  • If using LAW mix be sure to advise the person that they will only see whiteness for 30seconds and then their vision should return.

Street Medics of Tahir treating Pepperspray http://m4t.wikidot.com/contrib:en-law

 

Foreign Objects in the Ear:

Insect

If you find that an insect has gone into your ear DO NOT try to pull it out with tweezers or stick your finger in your ear. As it is an unknown insect you do not want to make it sting/bite you.

  • Turn the head so that the ear with the insect in it is facing upwards

**If the insect doesn’t leave itself at this point in time**

  • Pour some (warm if possible) oil into the ear (if oil isn’t available you can try to this with water), this should cause the insect to float out of the ear.

***If the insect does not come out of the ear once it has been flushed with the oil, seek medical attention***

 

Object in the Ear

If the object is in the outer canal (protruding from the ear) you may try to remove the object with Tweezers (do not use your fingers)

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If the object is a fair way into the ear, or the depth of the object is unknown, seek medical attention before trying to remove the object.

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by ·Comments Off on Release Ranjini day Action

On Friday the 10th of May there was a nation wide action, calling for the end of mandatory detention and also for an end to the imprisonment of the ASIO Negative assessment refugees. We attended the Midday vigil out the front of DFAT (Casselden Place, Melbourne) to show our support to refugees and the demand to ending indefinite detention.

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by ·Comments Off on Street Medic Pro-tip 21: Bushfire Survival

Please Note: This Pro-Tip is out of order when it comes to what we have been rebooting for the website. However we feel that with the Hot temperatures and Bushfires going on it was an important message to get out to people, so please share it amongst your contacts as the details on here could help protect you in an extreme environmental situation. If you would like any more details about anything mentioned please feel free to contact us or check out the websites listed at the bottom of the tip.

BUSHFIRE:

Living in Australia Bushfires are one of those threats that we cannot avoid, but by knowing what to do if you are in a bush fire area you may be able to help protect yourself. The number one thing to always remember in any emergency situation is to STAY CALM, if you panic then you will move slower and it will be harder to make decisions. Bushfires are scary they move quickly and the noise is deafening if you are near them so make sure you have plans in place to help you survive. If you live in a bushfire area there are certain steps you should take to protect your property as best as possible but also for preparation if the bushfire does come and you need to evacuate.

Preparing your property:

  • Cut any long grass
  • move any branches/leaves near the house far away
  • trim any trees/bushes near the house
  • remove any furniture or mats from the outside of the house
  • keep block generally clear and tidy

Preparation for a Bushfire

  • Use local fire authorities resources available (State based fire authorities details listed below)
  • Ensure you advise friends/family of your survival plan to help avoid confusion and extra stress
  • Know your trigger to leave (Watching for ‘Code Red’ on Fire boards, listen to warnings on local radio, keep an eye on Fire authorities website/app)
  • Have your Survival plan located somewhere easy to find (to prevent panic about not knowing where it is and what you need to do)
  • Keep all valuable items in an easily located space (even with your survival plan) so that if you need to evacuate they are together and ready to go

Your Survival plan needs to cover 3 main areas: What to do before you leave, Where can you go on high-risk Bushfire days & a plan of how you will reach your destination. The more details you have arranged in your survival plan the easier it will be to remain calm and focused if a bush fire ever eventuates.

What to do before you leave (this is to try and help minimize damage to your house and possessions):

  • Make sure all doors and windows are shut
  • As previous mentioned remove all outdoor furniture and door mats
  • Move any animals to large well maintained paddocks
  • If there is gas at the property turn it off
  • Spray the house with water – particularly roof gutters (block the downpipes so the water says in place)
  • Leave clear access to the property – no locked gates. So that fire crews can access the property if needed.
  • Prepare survival kit for travel and contact any one who needs to be contacted as part of your survival plan
  • Make sure you take a list of all necessary numbers that you may need once relocated – mobile phones are not reliable so take a written list as well in case your phone breaks.

Where can you go on Bushfire high risk days

  • Community centers/temporary shelters
  • Any public spaces that are in low fire risk areas
  • family/friends who live in low fire risk areas

Planning to reach your destination

  • Plan where you are going and the route to get there in advance (always plan multiple routes to get there in case of road closures)
  • If you do not have a car make arrangements with neighbors or family members near by
  • Practice planning the car with everything you will take during an evacuation. This helps speed up the process and lets you know that everything will fit (prized possessions, pets etc.)
  • Take your Survival plan and have a bushfire kit in your car (view image below for what should be in a bush fire survival kit)

Bag with spare natural fibre clothes/toiletries
Plenty of water
Food supplies (in case you get stranded)
First aid kit/medications
Torch and batteries
Mobile and charger
Important documents
battery powered AM/FM Radio
Wool Blankets (MUST BE WOOL)

 

The number one killer in a bushfire is radiant heat so it is important to make sure that if you are in a bushfire area to have clothes in your car that may help protect you from radiant heat such as boots, natural fibre clothes (e.g. cotton) goggles, face mask if possible (or bandana soaked in water – this is more to prevent smoke inhalation) broad brimmed hat and gloves. You want to have as much of your skin covered as possible.

Traveling in a bushfire

If you find yourself in bushfire and you are unable to escape (whether it be in a car or hiking) there are steps you can take to try and protect yourself from injury – however it is an extremely dangerous situation to find yourself in and should be avoided at all costs.

If you find yourself in a bush fire and you are in a CAR:

  • DO NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR – stay in the vehicle is the current advice
  • Park in a large cleared area (eg like a paddock) which is away from trees and if possible long grass
  • Turn on any external lights you may have (e.g Headlights and Hazard lights) to draw attention to yourself
  • Close all windows and vents to prevent smoke entering the car – if the car fills up you risk asphyxiation.
  • Get below window level (lie down behind drivers seat or on back seat if possible)
  • Cover yourself with a dry woolen blanket (it must be wool)
  • When fire has passed get out of the car

When driving across country you should consider taking the survival kit (shown above) just as a precaution. it may help you survive during and after a bushfire has passed if you find yourself stuck in one. It is important to also try and wear natural fiber clothing like cotton when traveling through the country, not only will it help you stay safe from heat related illness it will also keep you much safer in a fire as it doesn’t melt like acrylic material does in radiant heat. Acrylic material if it melts onto your skin can cause horrific burns. Keeping a wool blanket or Jumper, mittens and balaclava in your can is also important because Wool doesn’t catch fire like other materials which is why it it recommended to have in fire situations. The wool will just singe like human hair does and this will help protect you.

If you find yourself in a bushfire and you are HIKING/CAMPING:

  • Always carry woolen jumper/s, balaclava, and mittens to help cover the majority of your skin from burns
  • Seek refuge behind rocky outcrop, a high wall, in a cave, gully/large animal burrow, paddock, lake or dam.
  • Avoid slopes and hill tops (avoid where possible being above a fire)
  • DO NOT seek shelter in above ground water tanks  or pools (as these act like giant cooking pots when the fire arrives and boils the water)
  • Carry plenty of water and food supplies, AM/FM radio if possible and always have a first aid kit available
  • Always make sure that you have told family/friends before you leave where you are/plan to be so that they can notify authorities of your approximate location if they haven’t heard from you. If people don’t know you are out there, they wont know to look for you.

As mentioned at the start of this Pro-Tip the safest thing to do is avoid bushfire areas and evacuate early. Fire moves extremely quickly (far quicker than most people think) and the number one killer in a bush fire isn’t the flames it is the radiant heat which reaches you before the flames do. Please always have a survival plan if you live in a high-risk area, and if you are traveling through a bushfire area please take a survival kit with you as a precaution.

For more information on all of this and also for a Fire Ready Survival kit Please follow the links below for your state (if you are unable to access the link – due to page overloads – please contact us and we will email you back a copy of the kit)

Remember that the number one thing to do in a Bushfire is STAY CALM – do not panic and stick to your plan, or follow the steps above to give yourself a fighting chance against the fires.

Bushfire information services:

CFA (Victoria)

  • 1800 240 667
  • www.cfa.vic.gov.au
 RFS (NSW)

  • 1800 679 737
  • www.rfs.nsw.gov.au
 CFS (SA)

  • 1300 362 361
  • www.cfs.sa.gov.au
DFES (WA)

  • 1300 657 209
  • www.dfes.wa.gov.au
 TFS (Tas)

  • www.fire.tas.gov.au

 

by ·Comments Off on No To Offshore Processing
Photograph shared by Jimmy Yan on the Facebook Event page

 

Photograph shared by Jimmy Yan on the Facebook Event page

On Sunday the 21st of October, Melbourne FACT attended the ‘No To Offshore Processing’ rally. There were 5 FACToids in attendance to keep an eye on the crowd and make sure everyone at the action stayed safe. The action started at 1pm outside the State Library of Victoria with speeches from Adam Bandt (Greens Deputy Leader), Theo Mackaay (Victorian Council of Churches), Michelle O’Neil (Victorian State Secretary, Textile Clothing & Footwear Union). A speech was also made by a Tamil man who had come to Australia seeking asylum as an unaccompanied child and had been processed in a detention center at the age of 13. His speech was extremely emotional as he detailed the atrocities that he had seen, including witnessing the death of his brother at the hands of the Sri Lankan Military Forces. “Why is the life of a child from another nation worth any less?” was a question he posed to the audience that was received with silent nodding as it clearly resonated with the rest of the protesters.

Sri Lankan refugee speaks of his experiences

According to news reports at its peak the action had 300 protesters present.  The March left from the State Library and headed down Swanston St. The march gained a lot of attention from on-lookers with several hecklers, however the group remained undeterred and continued to march and chant. The march ended at the Princess Bridge where the protesters sat down in Solidarity with those currently in detention and offshore processing centers.

Sitting on the Bridge at the end of the March

Sitting on the Bridge at the end of the March

If you want to be a part of the next Refugee action there is going to be a ‘Welcome the Refugees’ Barbecue and Festival on the 6th of November 2012 (Melbourne Cup day) from 1pm at the Maribyrnong Detention Centre – 53 Hampstead Rd, Maribyrnong.

Follow the link below for more details:

http://www.facebook.com/events/121718531311286/

by ·Comments Off on Reclaim the Night
Reclaim the night

Reclaim the Night has been running in Australia since 1978 and has been a march for Women to stand up to oppression, sexual assault, rape, victim blaming and all forms of violence. It has been a global event since the 1970s when women across the world took a stand against the crimes that were being committed against women in their local communities.

On the 20th of October this year Melbourne FACT took to Sydney Road in Brunswick to make sure the women and men reclaiming the streets could do so safely.

When we arrived at the corner of Barkley St and Sydney Road at about 6:45pm there was already a small group amassing in front of the ute that was being used to hold the sound system and as a platform for the speakers. When Melbourne FACT attends a rally we split into small groups of two or three street medics – our buddy teams. As a sign of respect to the attendees we divided into pairs that had both a male and female first aider (except for one group which was female only as we were going to walk up the front in the women only section). We felt that this was important as the emotions on the night were likely to be high and the nature of the action meant that female attendees may have felt uncomfortable approaching a male first aider for help.

The speeches started at 7pm and Melbourne FACT moved to our set locations to watch the crowd as more and more people joined the crowd on the road. There were 3 speakers who shared their views on the plight of women and the injustices that have plagued victims in the past (and still do) and discussed what they believed needed to happen in the future to change the issues facing women. Their speeches engaged the crowd and apart from one heckler the speeches went on without any issues and built up an incredible energy in the crowd.

At 7:45pm the MC for the night explained that the main banner was moving out onto the road and directly behind them there would be a women’s only section. By this point in time the crowd had swelled and the Lane heading toward Coburg on Sydney Road was closed by the police. As I was part of the group up the front it was great to see the women’s only section walking together and it was heart warming to know that there were groups of men and children in the section behind us walking in solidarity with the women. As we walked down Sydney Road we did not suffer any heckling or jeering, the local community responded passionately, many people honked their horn in support and people in local eateries cheering us on from the sidewalks.

By the time we had reached the finishing point of the march at the corner of Sparta Place and Sydney Road there were between 4,000 and 6,000 marching to reclaim the night. Some even suggested that there were 4,000 women marching and 2,000 men walking with them in solidarity. Either way the numbers were far greater than had been expected by the organisers and meant that for a period of time the crowd  shut down an entire block and declared their intent to oppose violence in all its forms and to reclaim the night with chants and drum banging.

 

The march was highly successful with more attendees than expected and some news sources even stating that it was the largest Reclaim the Night to have happened in decades – hopefully with such high attendance and coverage in the main stream media these issues will start being faced by the greater public and cause social change.

We would like to thank the Organisers for arranging the march and for inviting MelbFACT to work with them.