DISACCORDS

Melbourne: Five people arrested during violent shut-down of Flinders Street homeless camp

The officers suffered minor injuries as both protesters and homeless people were removed from the site by the public order response team at 1pm.

Acting Commander Stuart Bateson said 75 officers were required to remove those camped at the site due to safety concerns ahead of planned maintenance works at the historic railway station.

Protesters gathered at the site and joined in chants of “homelessness is not a crime”, “poverty is not illegal”, and “scum”.

One officer was allegedly punched in the back of the head by a female protester, Acting Commander Stuart Bateson said.

Police were filmed pushing the woman to the ground before detaining her, as the crowd shouted “let her go!”

Moments later, an elderly man drove a mobility scooter towards police.

Another man was handcuffed by police and led away after punching a 9NEWS camera, shattering the lens.

One homeless person will be charged with public drunkenness.

Three protesters were arrested for a range of offences including assaulting a police officer, throwing objects at officers, resisting police and another protester was arrested for public drunkenness.

Police formed a human wall outside the station to block the rough sleepers from supporters, onlookers and media about 1.30pm.

Police closed Flinders Street between Swanston and Elizabeth streets, but it has since re-opened.

One homeless man, identified only as Justin, told 9NEWS he had been waiting “four years” for accommodation.

“I’ve got two little kids, one is 11 and the other is eight, and we’re just waiting for public housing,” he said.

A large number of response police officers are waiting around the corner from the site. (9NEWS/Sean Davidson)

“The governments bring refugees here, pushing us down the list further and further.”

The Andrews Government said the group will be offered accommodation as part of a $10 million plan to get homeless people into transitional housing.

The Homeless Persons Union of Victoria confirmed 40 transitional houses had been announced, but it would “fail to cover the 70 people with their names down on the list at Flinders Street”.

Billy, who did not wish to have her last name used, told 9NEWS “nobody chooses this”.

Homeless people have frequented the city’s busiest station for years but numbers swelled and tents were erected last month.

The Lord Mayor announced last month he would enact a bylaw to move rough sleepers on – a decision that attracted condemnation from homeless groups and the Greens but was backed by the Premier and police.

Anarchists welcome North Thailand’s new ‘Australian’ Honorary Consul to the job with a home visit

On Sunday 29 January 2017, anarchists in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai visited the home of the newly appointed Australian Honorary Consul, Ronald Elliott, to share with him our analysis of Australia’s immigration policies regarding refugees, and to communicate our opinion of Australia’s highly offensive annual nationalist celebration of occupation, displacement and genocide.

We recognise Mr Elliott, who was appointed Australian Honorary Consul in northern Thailand on 17 January, 2017, as representing the vile policies of the colonised land known as ‘Australia’. Hence, in welcoming his new appointment as the ambassador of a government which makes no apologies for its racist immigration policies and unashamed barbaric treatment of refugees, we decorated the wall protecting his expensive upper-middle class property with a demand to “Free the Refugees”.

Similarly, in solidarity with the 7 Days of Resistance to Invasion Day, called by Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance (WAR), we also added the demand to “Decolonise “Australia” to Mr Elliot’s property.

We trust that Mr Elliott will report our message to his superiors in the Australian Embassy proper in Bangkok, who will in turn submit a mandatory report regarding the incident to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and their cronies in the ‘Australian’ government.

In undertaking our visit to Mr Elliott’s residence in the over-policed and exclusive gated community, Mod Chic, in Moo Ban Sansaran, the strategy we used to negotiate entry reaffirmed that no matter how many walls and borders the rich, and by extension the State, create to keep out “undesirables”, those with motivation to gain access to spaces will always find a way- a lesson the ‘Australian’ government would do well to consider when implementing its immigration policies and squandering billions of dollars on “defending the borders”.

via: Insurrection News

Tamworth: Office of Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce paint-bombed in solidarity with First Nations Communities

On January 30th, 2017, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce’s Tenterfield office in so-called “Australia” was paintbombed in solidarity with First Nations struggles.

This action was spurred by Joyce’s disgusting and ignorant comments around Invasion Day 2017, when the minister referred to protesters as “miserable gutted people” and further stated “I wish they would crawl under a rock and hide for a little bit.”

Barnaby Joyce is a white man who was born on unceded land in so-called Tamworth in 1967. He is in the top three of politician’s spending, with taxpayer money directed by his hand to projects such as: chartering a $4, 000 helicopter ride to avoid a 4 hour drive from his hometown (or 40 min drive from his Tenterfield office) on two occasions, and spending $670, 897 to set up his two regional offices (more expensive than any fit-out recorded since 2010). He is empowered by a government founded on genocide, strengthened by the destructive and vicious machine of capitalism and upheld by white-washing nationalism that seeps into and out of our communities, creating false comfort and pride through historical amnesia.

This small symbolic action was taken because we reject dialogue with the monsters behind sleek government walls who know nothing of the lives of those they attempt to govern, seeing only those things which might obtain them more power and strengthen the system that sustains their positions. We want to encourage people to see beyond the frosted glass that shields these ignorant, entitled criminals; to see the outrage against them, to see the disrespect they deserve. We threw red paint to symbolise the blood of those First Nations people murdered by the Australian state over 229 years of invasion and occupation, and the blood pumping through the veins of those survivors, those warriors who live and breathe today. Those who will give birth to new generations, who will always be rooted in this land and connected to their ancestors and to the pain of the dispossession, murder and devastation inflicted on their people and their land for centuries by the Australian state.

It’s clear to us that Barnaby Joyce is nothing but a bitter man with pockets full of money and a life deprived of culture and meaning. His position of power must give him warmth at night and the false impression of widespread respect. This small action was a simple one to chip away at his illusions, to break down his power and to show him that we are here, and we are not going away.

Solidarity to all First Nations people.
Solidarity to all fighters against state and capital.
Keep the fire burning.

paint-2

via: Insurrection News

Sydney: Some anti-colonial actions

26 Jan – Over the past week thousands of anti-colonial posters were put up all around Sydney, especially around locations holding “Australia Day” celebrations. On the 26th of January, six Unaustralian banners were tied to various highway overpasses.

While these minor acts can not prevent the official celebrations of Australian colonialism, it was very inspiring to see an increase in acts of resistance to ‘Aussie’ patriotism this year.

We’ve seen anti-Australian graffiti in a bunch of areas, including some huge indigenous flags painted in prominent locations,heard of paint attacks on colonial monuments and seen a bunch of videos of people burning captured flags. But most of all we were encouraged by the massive Invasion Day march, the front of which was attacked by riot police with fire extinguishers to prevent an indigenous revolutionary from burning a colonial rag. The crowd immediately reacted to this aggression by physically expelling the cops from the march, forcing the arrogant dogs of the riot squad to flee in fear, a very rare sight at demonstrations in this city.

This year has also seen a large increase in those calling for changing the date of Invasion Day, to a more “appropriate” time. The Greens mp David Shoebridge spruiked this agenda in his speech at the Invasion Day rally, which the Greens attempted to dominate with dozens of their party flag spread throughout the crowd. This is the very same party that a week ago denounced flag burning for being “violent” and in complete opposition to the party principles.

We stand alongside the indigenous and non-indigenous people who oppose any date to celebrate this nation of occupation. Every day is invasion day and every day is a good day to fight back against the promotion of patriotism and loyalty to the state and its institutions.

For the spread of anti-colonial resistance.
Fight Australia, every day!

Southeast Vic: Banner drop in for #7DaysOfResistance

25 January – Banner drop on an overpass above the Princes Freeway, heading east in southeast Victoria as part of the #7DaysOfResistance in the lead-up to Invasion Day 2017.

The banners read: ‘No Pride In Genocide’ and ‘Abolish Aus Day’. Poster were also placed featuring an Aboriginal flag with the words ‘Always Was Always Will Be’ super-imposed over it. This is a reference to a chant regularly heard at demonstrations in so-called Australia: ‘Always Was, Always Will be Aboriginal Land!’

Apologies for the poor quality of the photos!

Sydney: Anti-colonial graffiti

23 January – Anti-Colonial graffiti painted around Sydney in the lead-up to the annual carnival of Australian nationalism.

Solidarity with all who resist.

via: Insurrection News

Malmsbury: Riot police storm juvenile prison to suppress riot

Inmates during the riot at Malmsbury.

12 Jan – A riot at the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre came to a dramatic end on Thursday night, with heavily armed police storming the facility.

Six inmates were arrested after rioting at the facility.

Teenagers at the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre during the riot.

Police were called to Malmsbury at 1.50pm after the inmates armed themselves with metal poles and locked themselves in a secure exercise yard.

The situation came to a head shortly before 6.30pm, when heavily armed riot police carrying shields stormed the facility.

Six inmates were arrested and brought out by the riot police shortly after.

Riot police prepare to enter Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre.

A police spokeswoman said the six inmates would be interviewed on Thursday night, with control of the facility due to be handed back to prison guards.

The whole centre had been put in lockdown to prevent any trouble spreading, sources said. The centre has capacity for 135 juvenile inmates, and is close to full at present.

A Department of Health and Human Services spokesman said the perimeter of the centre was secure. He said the incident was safely resolved without any injuries to staff or young people.

Teenagers inside Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre.

The incident is the latest in a string of riots to hit the state’s youth justice centres.

Last September, rioting prisoners scaled the roof of the Malmsbury centre, about 100 kilometres north-west of Melbourne.

Violence erupted again at the facility in October, when a group of youths ripped benches from their fittings and armed themselves with metal legs before taunting guards.

Also last year, the Parkville Youth Justice Centre was crippled so badly by rioting teens that some units were left inoperable. The Andrews government moved some teen inmates from Parkville to a unit at the notorious Barwon prison for adults.

That initial move was found to be illegal by the Supreme Court – the government has since re-gazetted the Grevillea unit to allow for teens to be held there.