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Links and tidbits – September 2016

September 22, 2016 Uncategorized 0 Comments

Here are some links and tidbits, September 2016.

August tied July for hottest month on record.

Randall Munroe of XKCD has published a lovely little graphic explaining just how abnormal recent temperature changes have been.

It seems increasingly likely that children today will live to see a world of 4.5 degrees of warming.

4.5 degrees.

4.5 degrees. xkcd.

Anarchist Affinity have released issue four of their zine, The Platform. I’ve contributed an article, titled ‘Your consumer choices won’t save the planet‘:

Ethical consumerism is worse than useless. The false choice of “ethical consumption” gives those firms most exposed to the risks of consumer backlash a ready source of green wash, and it provides new opportunities to sell “ethical” products at higher prices. Whilst doing this, “ethical consumerism” diverts attention away from the dynamic that is destroying our environment, exploiting workers, and wasting resources.

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The Campaign Against Racism and Fascism have a forum next Tuesday entitled Making Melbourne a Hanson Free Zone, speakers include Inaz Janif, Jeff Sparrow, and Jack Latimore.

Annoying fascist slime ball Neil Erikson is apparently facing some kind of legal action. The Facebook page ‘Australian Settlers Rebellion’ (operated by Erikson and Shermon Burgess) has put up a post calling on fascists to support Erikson at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on 6 March 2017, and states that Erikson has been “charged under the Communist Racial Discrimination Laws for depicting a Religious Act”.

If Erikson has been charged, then it could well relate to last year’s beheading stunt in Bendigo. Erikson was accompanied on that jaunt by Blair Cottrell, Chris Shortis, Lyndon Watson, and John Wilkinson.

Or it could be a publicity stunt with no basis in reality. Prosecutions for racial vilification are exceptionally rare, and Erikson’s name does not appear to be on the Magistrate Court list for the day in question.

Apparently some 49% of Australians support a ban on Muslim immigration. The Essential research poll is based on an ‘online panel’ of a thousand people who receive incentives to complete surveys…

None the less, the poll’s other questions about the return of Pauline Hanson to federal parliament pose a significant problem for anti-racists. 42% of respondents agreed with the statement “I agree with a lot of what Pauline Hanson says and it’s good to see her back in Parliament”. 62% of respondents agreed that “I might not personally agree with everything she says but she is speaking for a lot of ordinary Australians” and 65% agreed that “Pauline Hanson talks about issues other politicians too scared to tackle”.

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Casual academics and tutors are organising at La Trobe University. The La Trobe Casuals Collective is holding an organising workshop on October 20.

‘Easy Money: The Reserve Bank of Australia and the tremors in capital accumulation‘ makes for interesting reading:

Unorthodox monetary policy is like a vast anti-gravity machine that has been able to delay the day of reckoning. The cost however is that it postpones crisis today by accumulating even greater and greater sources of risk. Unorthodox monetary policy today seems to necessitate unorthodox monetary policy tomorrow. It does seem unlikely that this can go on forever…

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Thoughts on the hunger strike at the Broadmeadows gulag

April 14, 2013 Uncategorized 3 Comments

Background info: Hunger strike at the Broadmeadows gulag

So I just spent a weekend camped outside a detention centre.

On more than one occasion during the weekend a supporter asked if those of us outside had any message we wanted to pass on to the hunger strikers. I was lost for words. “Stay strong”, “We’re with you” and other such sentiments all seemed grossly inadequate.

The refugee movement is a shadow of it’s former self.

As one person put it to me over the weekend, the outrage of 2001, “How could this happen here?!” has been replaced with resignation, “oh well, this happens here”.

We must clearly, unequivocally and without hesitation support every act of resistance that comes from within the camps.

The most significant, effective and important resistance to Australia’s barbaric treatment of refugees has always come from refugees, within the detention centres.

Riots, hunger strikes, burning buildings, and sewn lips demand a response, not just from the state but also from anyone with an ounce of compassion. Resistance inside the detention centres is what spurs and demands a response from supporters outside, and in turn solidarity from the outside gives confidence for stronger and repeated acts of defiance inside.

If the refugee movement in Australia is to be rebuilt, active and visible support for resistance from within detention centres must be maintained.

Perhaps there is one thing I’d liked to have passed on to the hunger strikers, “Thank you”.

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Hunger strike at the Broadmeadows Gulag

April 14, 2013 Uncategorized 8 Comments

I have just spent the weekend at the vigil outside the MITA detention centre in Broadmeadows. Twenty seven refugees face their eighth day without food. They’ve politely asked the Australian government to free them or kill them.

Statement from the hunger strikers at the MITA detention centre in Broadmeadows, Melbourne:

MESSAGE FROM THE ASIO REJECTED REFUGEES AT MITA, MELBOURNE:

We are 30 people here – 25 Tamils, 2 Tamil Muslims, two Burmese and one Iranian. We have been here for three and four years. We cannot tolerate it any longer. We need to be released to save our lives.

At 2 a.m. today (Monday, April 8, 2013) we began a hunger strike together. All 30 of us plan to keep doing this until there is solution, one way or the other.

We will gather together in the grounds of the detention centre and stay there until we get a solution. If the Australian Government does not release us, we ask that they kill us mercifully.

We have painted banners as part of our protest. There is one that shows many people hanging. That is what we want to happen to us if we are not released.

People in here are jumping off the roof, they are going on hunger strikes, they are taking tablets, they are trying to hang themselves. It is a cruel and inhumane environment for everyone.

We plead with you, the Australian people, to help us. We are on the edge of life and don’t know how much longer we can stand it.

We ask Prime Minister Gillard, Immigration Minister O’Connor, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus Opposition leader Abbott and ASIO director David Irvine to stop this torture of all of us… of men, women and children, who have done nothing to warrant this cruel treatment that is destroying our minds.

We ask the authorities: You say we are a threat to this nation. So if we are such people why have they now put women and children and families in here with us? We are willing to be released into the community under strict orders if they think we are threats, which we aren’t. But whatever they want we will do.

But we can’t keep living like this. We are not in detention. We are in a cemetery. We don’t want to die. We left Sri Lanka because we fear to die. We came to Australia to live, not die. But death would be better than the life we have.

SIGNED

ASIO REJECTED REFUGEES.

Links:
Campaign Blog: MITA Hunger Strike
ABC Radio, Hunger striking Tamil refugee says he’s afraid to die
Jeff Sparrow at The Drum, Australia’s Guantanamo isn’t offshore: it’s in Melbourne

Upcoming Actions:
Ongoing, 6:30pm Nightly Vigils in solidarity with MITA hunger strike
April 16, 11:00am, Protest outside Brendan O’Conner’s Office (immigration minister)
April 28, 1:00pm, Protest at Broadmeadows Detention Centre (in solidarity with the National Convergence)

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Tottenham Riots

August 7, 2011 Uncategorized 0 Comments

Petrol bombs have been thrown at police and two patrol cars, a bus and buildings have been set on fire in a disturbance in Tottenham, north London. – BBC

I’m sure that London Indymedia and Socialist Worker will have some decent left wing coverage of today’s events in the North London suburb of Tottenham in due course.

But until then, watching the mainstream capitalist press coverage of today’s events is instructive. Keep an eye out for mainstream coverage that focuses on:
 
a. the ethnicity of the demonstrators

b. their “criminality”

c. a focus on theft and “looting”

The mainstream media and the political establishment will emphasize “criminality”, promote racism, and deride claims that legitimate political grievances were at play on the streets of Tottenham today. The goal of the ruling class in these situations is to drive a wedge between those in the working class that have taken their grievances to the streets, and those who are yet to do so.

Tottenham is an immigrant working class area, there is high unemployment, and a long history of repressive Police brutality. Communities like Tottenham are the first to feel the effects of economic downturn, and face the brunt of government attacks on the working class in the form of austerity packages.

The circumstances of the catalyst are almost unimportant, community anger doesn’t just explode out of a single incident. As the UK government continues it’s campaign of austerity, expect more conflict like this in the poor working class communities.

The Clash: Guns of Brixton

 

From wikipedia:

"The Guns of Brixton" pre-dates the race riots that took place in the 1980s in Brixton but the lyrics depict the feelings of discontent that were building due to heavy-handedness of the police that led to the riots, the recession and other problems at that time.

We live in interesting times.

– Kieran.

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Police State Blues III

June 12, 2011 Uncategorized 0 Comments

Read this shit. Unless you’ve been living on the moon, you’ve probably heard something about the Baillieu government’s plans to introduce $240 on the spot fines for swearing in Victoria. Before you go cuddling up to Labor in response, remember, they started it.

There is a bipartisan campaign against civil liberties in Victoria, and Ted Baillieu is John Brumby’s natural successor. If you care about any sense of freedom on our streets, perhaps you should consider participating in fuckwalk. For more info on the issue read this.

Tasering continues apace, there are now more stories about the use and misuse of tasers than I am able to even follow. Good thing they are totally safe.

Comic via NSW Police Farce.

Why not check out: Australian Police Watch, NSW Police Farce, NSW Police Crime, Victoria Cop Watch, and Sydney Cop Watch. If you know of any others to add to the list, leave a comment.

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#albchoice campaign website

June 3, 2011 Uncategorized 1 Comment

It seems the #albchoice campaign will be ongoing, as the religious fundamentalistsramp up their picket of Albury’s Fertility Control Clinic, and supporters of women’s rights continue to campaign in it’s defense.

I’ve setup something of an unofficial campaign website (hard to have an official website for a campaign with no formal structure or leadership) at Albury Choice.org. Please share it around.

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