Public Statement By Peachy
My name is Peachy. I am writing on my own behalf, am not part of a group or do not represent any one else’s opinion but my own.
I have now worked in the environmental and social movement in Australia for over a decade. I have worked hard within mainstream, non-government organisations and grass roots organisations and have participated in blockading and in non-violent direct action. I am committed to facilitating social change, environmental awareness and protection, and strengthening community.
Having some sense of the energy that potentially was to errupt at the G20 protest, I brought these objectives to the Stop G20 Carnivale event - with a strong commitment to trying to create (if possible) a space that was inclusive – and where people felt like they could be present at the G20 protest and Carnivale, in a non violent way. I personally tried to facilitate Indigenous involvement, the involvement of multicultural groups, and other sectors of the community that exist beyond my own loose social and working group. (more…)
Peachy
The violence you speak of was against property, a police car no less. Let’s put this into perspective of the violence these governments and corporations use against us every day and think.
The attention on the violent aspects of the protests didn’t make your voice or actions any less. If we come to protests to be heard by the media I think this is a big waste of time.. they want sensationalism. they will never be interested in ‘the issues’. It sounds as though you got a lot from the day, why let others actions have such a strong impact on your sense of power?
I don’t understand people’s need to control others actions. If some choose to be violent, this is and always will be their choice. Which you nor anyone else should take from them when it is not harming anyone. This was property damage! In the over all scheme of this violent society I see it as self defense.
Civil disobedience takes many different forms. When people start putting down other protesters, the government and the corporations win a little bit to further dividing us.
Let’s remember who the real enemy is. Just because their philosophy on action is not the same as yours I think it’s pretty safe to assume their beliefs about our society are somewhat similar. A lot closer to The G20, or the media whom people care so much for.
If you don’t agree with their actions thats fine, but don’t just dismiss of them, or blame them for things which aren’t their fault.
I think solidarity is key if we ever want real social change.
Comment by zeben — November 30, 2006 @ 2:48 am
Statement on G20 protests
Resistance, socialist youth organisation www.resistance.org.au
On November 18, upwards of 3000 people marched through the streets of Melbourne to protest the meeting of the G20. The rally was organised by the StopG20 Collective and the Stop the War Coalition, in which Resistance participated both in organising and publicising.
The protest was directed at some of the biggest war criminals in the war in particular Paul Wolfowitz, president of the World Bank, Gordon Brown, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Treasurer Peter Costello, key figures in the Coalition of the Killing, and directly responsible for the deaths of over 650,000 in Iraq alone.
Their discussions, carried out in secret behind closed doors, were aimed at further enforcing pro-corporate policies which have been responsible for the starvation and impoverishment of millions around the world and the increasing endangerment of humanity as a whole,particularly through policies that perpetuate environmental destruction.
The size and mood of the rally is testament to the growing
opposition to the policies of the rich G20 nations.
This was despite the corporate media beat-up in the week leading up to the protest about the likelihood of violence, and attempts to derail it - including multi-millionaire Bono whose concert message was focussed on charity not change, and the Make Poverty History events that were specifically aimed at providing a nice gloss to the attempts by the G20 to look like it was doing something for the world’s poor.
Unsurprisingly, the corporate media covered none of this. Instead,as always it preferred to focus on a small group – Arterial Bloc – and the so-called riots which, at most, amounted to a few broken windows.
The corporate media hypocrisy is clear – focus on the tiny bit of damage to private property and ignore the policies of death beginning discussed behind closed doors.
The reason why is also clear – since the Seattle protests in 1999, which prevented the World Trade Organisation from reaching agreement on a new set of trade rules to impoverish the Third World, the global justice movement has grown. The S11 blockade of the World Economic Forum in 2000 and the M1 blockades of stock exchanges in 2001 spurred on this movement in Australia, helping to discredit these capitalist institutions and their “solutions” to global poverty
That is why the media refused to cover the protest, or report on what went on inside (where it was largely barred) and why it kept a low profile of the key warmongers such as Wolfowitz. It is little wonder that an 67% of people responded “no'’ to an Age poll question, “Did the G20 summit achieve anything'’ two days after the protest.
Resistance rejects the corporate media and government arguments against the protest. Importantly we must defend all activists against the campaign of victimization and sweeping up of activists post-rally. All those arrested must be supported, particularly the extremely worrying case of Akim Sari, who has been denied bail until a court hearing next February. This sets a very dangerous precedent.
The brutal attacks by the police against peaceful protesters on the night of November 18, and the following day against peaceful protests outside the Museum, demonstrate on which side the real violence lies.
But this shouldn’t stop the movement from having an honest
discussion about tactics. Having played a part in initiating and organising the G20 protest, we do not think Arterial Bloc played a constructive role. Covering their faces, acting in an undemocratic manner and isolating themselves from the majority at the rally, their decision to skirmish with the police played into the hands of the right-wing media and G20 spokespersons, such as Costello.
Resistance is also not opposed to civil disobedience. In fact we, along with many others, helped make the S11 blockade the success that it was, and initiated the M1 protests. But civil disobedience is only a tactic, and its usefulness, or otherwise, has to be judged on whether or not it helps or hinders in building the movement. That is the reason why we criticize the actions of the Arterial Bloc.
Because if we’re serious about building a movement to overthrow the system that G20 wants to prop up - capitalism - we have to win the working class majority to our side, and we’re some way from that.
Carrying out tiny “militant” actions such those of the arterial Bloc, give a free kick to the real thugs – those holed up inside the G20 meeting.
We have no control over the corporate media, but we are not so naive as to not take into account that the coverage will have an impact on working people, and whether they will be prepared to join us at the next protest or not. We know that the corporate media will always seek to marginalise us, and that scuffles with the state will take priority in their reporting over a peaceful protest of working people against the corporate rich. Similarly, the government will use such actions to push through more draconian state terror laws.
This is not an argument against civil disobedience: as a tactic it can be indispensable when used correctly - when it helps build and inspire a mass protest to become even bigger. In this particular instance the actions Arterial Block did nothing of the sort.
The global justice movement is naturally going to be diverse; but the movement also has to take some responsibility for its actions and work out what helps its growth and what doesn’t. The debate over tactics is useful as long as it stays concrete, and lessons can be learnt from G20 that can be carried into the discussion that has already started about the Stop Bush protest at APEC in Sydney next
year.
Comment by Brianna Pike — December 1, 2006 @ 3:21 am