Well, that was the rally that was.
Or wasn’t.
In brief, on Sunday approximately 20 or 30 members and supporters of the ‘Australian Defence League’ (ADL) gathered at midday at Federation Square. Gathering in opposition were perhaps 1 or 200 or so anti-racists. For about an hour the anti-racists–gathered under the umbrella of ‘The Rally Against Racism and Fascism’–listened to a number of speeches, a man singing about how we are all brothers, and the screams and shouts of the ADL.
Vision of both sides can be found elsewhere on the web, but the featured speaker for the ADL was not, surprisingly, the Londoner Martin Brennan (parachuted in, with EDL leader Stephen Yaxley-Lennon‘s blessing, to take charge of the incompetent Australians) but some other bloke. I dunno what he was on about–quite a lot judging by the array of placards he’d placed in front of his impromptu platform.
Anyway, after an hour so, it was decided that it was probably time for the Englishman to lead the defensive Australians in a retreat from the Square. And so, after some five or so minutes of pushing, the ADL was evicted.
And that was pretty much it.
Not an auspicious beginning to Martin’s plan to whip the convicts into shape, but certainly an improvement upon the (other) ADL’s attempt to stand about the steps of Flinders Street Station in April last year. Nobody was arrested and nobody was injured (that I know of) although one older woman–I think there to protest the ADL–was jostled and quite upset when she was finally able to make her way out from the brief melee. Presumably, if he doesn’t piss off back to London, Martin will rally his followers again at some point, and the cycle will be repeated.
Props to all those who took a public stand against the ADL’s bigotry, ignorance and rampant paranoia; the Herald Sun has a report–Protesters clash at anti-Muslim rally in Melbourne, John Masanauskas, May 16, 2011–and presumably there’ll be others in the days ahead…
Counter-demonstration against Fascist rally – Federation Square, peter, Indymedia Australia, May 16, 2011 | Photo of Martin Brennan.
Also: Derryn Hinch.
@Geraint:
http://clearcricket.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/reservoir_dogs-worlds_smallest_violin.gif
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stand outside mosques with posters of semi naked women on boards and pig heads on sticks cant be arrested for that theyre coming to marry your kids Gerry
lolwut
Get rid of [them] all, they are trying to take over the country[.]
They are a minority[.] [W]hy should they have the total say against the rest of us???
[C]owards is all that they are[.]
I am waiting [for] the total destruction of the devil. [T]heir religion is the devil and don[‘] forget that they are 700 years behind the rest of the world. Christ was born before their [prophet] so that puts them in the [M]iddle [A]ges in [their] religion – so [?] our [C]hristian crusades so [?] expect them to do their [damnedest].
Um…
G’day Des.
Er…
You seem pretty upset. Also, you don’t make much sense.
So…
1. In reality, Muslims have diverse political views; those few who wanna ‘take over’ the country are hardly a serious threat to anybody but, most likely, themselves.
2. Getting rid of Them sounds like a madcap scheme, unlikely to get much support, or be esp practical: genocide is quite a crime. (Otoh, I wouldn’t cry much if Bachar Houli did a hammy in his nxt match v Collingwood, even if I acknowledge that this is a bit unkind of me.)
3. As for Them having A Total Say, unless I’m actually dreaming right now and will wake up tomorrow morning to the news that Ibrahim Siddiq-Conlon has been appointed President-for-Life and enjoys massive popular support, I think it’s a bit silly.
4. Re cowardice, again, I gotta disagree. As far as I can tell, Them’s human, and as such capable of both cowardice and bravery — as are we all, regardless of religious conviction (or its absence). Finally:
5. You do realise that, if Islam is backward ’cause Muhammad was born in the 6th C, then given that Jesus was born 600 years before that, Xtianity must be even moar anachronistic?
Yeah.
Of course you do.
Oooh I do so love how the media is always on the side of the infiltrator, trouble making Muslims. THE ADL are trying to protect Australia from scum like them, Racism doesn’t come into it and as far as fascism is concerned they are the fascists as they are preventing the freedom of speech and no one has that right in this country, GET IT STRAIGHT PPL, ISLAM IS NOT A RACE NOR IS IT A RELIGION IT IS AN IDEOLOGY LIKE NAZISM FOR EG. U CANNOT BE RACIST FOR SPEAKING OUT AGAINST SOMETHING TAHT CLEARLY ISN’T A RACE OF ANY SORT!
Islam believes and practices the old testament, when it was written they were the infidels and were sladed [?] from the land of milk n honey.
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