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Μια σύντομη ιστορία της απεργίας του Wave Hill, ή Gurindji, όταν αυτόχθονες εργάτες κτηνοτροφίας απήργησαν με αίτημα ίσες αμοιβές και στη συνέχεια απαίτησαν τη γη στην οποία εργάστηκαν. Συνέχισαν τις κινητοποιήσεις τους κατά το απίστευτο διάστημα των εννέα χρόνων, και τελικά τους δόθηκε ένα μέρος της γης.

Κτηνοτρόφοι διαμαρτύρονται για ίσους μισθούς
Οι ιθαγενείς κτηνοτρόφοι, οι οποίοι ήταν πάντα η ραχοκοκαλιά της βιομηχανίας βοοειδών στη Βόρεια Αυστραλία, δεν πληρώνονταν τον ίδιο μισθό με εκείνο των λευκών συναδέλφων τους.

Στην πραγματικότητα, ήταν παράνομο μέχρι το 1968 να πληρώνονται οι ιθαγενείς εργαζόμενοι περισσότερο από ένα συγκεκριμένο ποσό σε αγαθά και χρήματα. Μια προσπάθεια να καθιερωθούν ίσοι μισθοί το 1965 απέτυχε, επειδή οι κτηνοτρόφοι υποστήριξαν ότι η ισότητα των μισθών θα κατέστρεφε τη βιομηχανία, αν εφαρμοζόταν αμέσως κάτι τέτοιο. Αποφασίστηκε να αναβληθεί η λήψη σχετικής απόφασης για τρία χρόνια.

Το 1966 οι ιθαγενείς άρχισαν τις κινητοποιήσεις, απαιτώντας αρχικά ισότητα μισθών στο Union Camp του Newcastle Waters Station, περίπου 270 χιλιόμετρα βόρεια του Tennant Creek. Η απεργία προσύλκησε την προσοχή ολόκληρης της χώρας μιας και αφορούσε τα δικαιώματα των εργαζομένων στην κτηνοτροφία σε όλη την Βόρεια Αυστραλία.

Παρά το γεγονός ότι οι απεργοί ηττήθηκαν, ξεκίνησε μια αντίσταση σε επίπεδο βάσης εναντίον των άθλιων συνθηκών εργασίας που είχαν επιβληθεί στους ιθαγενείς εργαζόμενους. Η διαδικασία αυτή αποδείχτηκε καταλύτης προς την απεργία του Wave Hill.

23 Αυγούστου 1966 - Η πρώτη διεκδίκηση γης στην Αυστραλία στο Wave Hill
Αλλά οι ιθαγενείς δεν έκαναν πίσω. Στις 23 Αυγούστου 1966, 200 ιθαγενείς κτηνοτρόφοι της φυλής Gurindji, βοηθούμενοι από τις οικογένειές τους, άρχισαν την απεργία στον κτηνοτροφικό σταθμό Wave Hill, 600 χιλιόμετρα νότια του Darwin στη Βόρεια Αυστραλία (Northern Territory), που ανήκε στον Βρετανό αριστοκράτη λόρδο Vestey.

Με επικεφαλής τον Vincent Lingiari, έναν ηλικιωμένο και αρχικτηνοτρόφο στο σταθμό, έστησαν καταυλισμό σε μια όχθη του ποταμού Victoria. Ο καταυλισμός αυτός μετακινήθηκε πριν από την υγρή περίοδο του έτους και το 1967 οι ιθαγενείς Gurindji εγκαταστάθηκαν περίπου 30 χιλιόμετρα από το σταθμό του Wave Hill στο Wattie Creek (Daguragu στη γλώσσα των ιθαγενών), στην καρδιά της παραδοσιακής τους γης, μια περιοχή πολιτιστικής σημασίας για τους ίδιους.

Η απεργία του Wave Hill υποστηρίχθηκε σθεναρά και από μη ιθαγενείς. Ο Brian Manning, λιμενεργάτης και ένθερμος συνδικαλιστής από το Darwin, οργάνωσε ένα απεργιακό ταμείο με συναδέλφους του συνδικαλιστές καθώς και τον ιθαγενή ηθοποιό Robert Tudawali και τον συνδικαλιστή οργανωτή του ποταμού Roper, Dexter Daniels. Ο Manning φόρτωνε το φορτηγό του με διάφορες προμήθειες και έκανε πάνω από δεκαπέντε διαδρομές μετ’ επιστροφής, 1.600 χιλιομέτρων, από το Darwin μέχρι το Wave Hill. Η όλη υποστήριξη και οι ενέργειες του Manning ήταν το “κλειδί” για την επιτυχία της απεργίας.

Η απεργία έγινε πρωτοσέλιδο σε όλη την Αυστραλία. Ενώ η αρχική κινητοποιηση έγινε για τους μισθούς και τις συνθήκες διαβίωσης σύντομα συμπεριέλαβε το πιο θεμελιώδες ζήτημα για τους ιθαγνείς, την απόδοση των παραδοσιακών τους εδαφών. Έτσι η απεργία του Wave Hill εξελίχθηκε σε κίνημα διεκδίκησης της γης.

Το 1967 ιθαγενείς ηγέτες παρουσίασαν υπόμνημα με υπογραφές στον γενικό κυβερνήτη της χώρας, ζητώντας μίσθωση 500 τετραγωνικών μιλίων για να οικοδομήσουν και λειτουργήσουν συνεργατικά μεταλλευτικό σταθμό και κέντρο εκτροφής βοοειδών. Επίσης, περιόδευσαν την Αυστραλία για την ευαισθητοποίηση της κοινής γνώμης σχετικά με τα αιτήματά τους.

Οι Gurindji ισχυρίζονταν ότι αυτή η γη ήταν από ηθικής πλευράς δική τους επειδή οι πρόγονοί τους "έζησαν εδώ από αμνημονεύτων χρόνων και ο πολιτισμός, οι μύθοι, τα όνειρα και οι ιεροί χώροι εξακολουθούν να υπάρχουν σε αυτή τη γη». Αυτό ήταν το πρώτο αίτημα για την απόδοση παραδοσιακής ιθαγενούς γης στην Αυστραλία.

Ενώ η εταιρεία του Vestey ήταν διατεθειμένη να παραδώσει τη γη, η αντίθεση σε αυτήν την ασυνήθιστη και νέα ιδέα ήταν πολύ ισχυρή.

Η απεργία συνεχίστηκε 9 χρόνια, μέχρι που ο πρωθυπουργός Gough Whitlam επισκέφθηκε το χώρο της απεργίας και έγραψε ιστορία με μια συμβολική χειρονομία - έριξε χώμα στο χέρι του αυτοχθόνα ηλικιωμένου Vincent Lingiari.

16 Αυγούστου 1975 - Το Wattie Creek γίνεται ιθαγενής γη
Σε εθνικό επίπεδο αρκετοί αντιστάθηκαν στην ιδέα της επιστροφής γης στους παραδοσιακούς ιδιοκτήτες της. Πέντε χρόνια αργότερα (η κυβέρνηση είχε αλλάξει πάρα πολύ), στις 16 Αυγούστου 1975 ο πρωθυπουργός Gough Whitlam (του Εργατικού Κόμματος) παρέδωσε τον τίτλο της γης στους ιθαγενείς Gurindji - κάτι που αποτελέσε την πρώτη πράξη επιστροφής γης στους ιθαγενείς τη χώρας και την έναρξη του κινήματος για τα εδαφικά δικαιώματα.

Η στιγμή που ο Gough Whitlam έριξε χώμα στα χέρια του Vincent Lingiari έγινε μια από τις πιο καθοριστικές στιγμές στην ιστορία της Αυστραλίας.

Η απεργία του Wave Hill άνοιξε το δρόμο στο νόμο περί ιθαγενικών δικαιωμάτων γης στη Βόρεια Αυστραλία (Aboriginal Land Rights Northern Territory Act) του 1976. Το 1975 οι Gurindji αγόρασαν την κτηνοτροφική μίσθωση. Όταν η τοπική κυβέρνηση απείλησε να αναστείλει τη μίσθωση, οι Gurindji κατέθεσαν αίτηση δικαιωμάτων γης.

Το 1986 κέρδισαν την πλήρη κυριότητα των πηγών του Wattie Creek γνωστών ως Dagaragu, που βρίσκεται στην περιφέρεια του ποταμού Victoria της Βόρειας Αυστραλίας.

Σήμερα 700 Gurindji ζουν στις κοινότητες του Daguragu, στις όχθες του Wattie Creek και του Kalkarinji, που πριν ήταν γνωστό ως Wave Hill.

Θεωρείται επιτυχία;
Το μεγάλο ερώτημα είναι: Ήταν η απεργία επιτυχής; Είναι οι αυτόχθονες εργαζόμενοι σε καλύτερη κατάσταση;

Ο καθηγητής Jon Altman, από το Ινστιτούτο για την Ιθαγένεια και την Παγκοσμιοποίηση “Alfred Deakin” του Πανεπιστήμιου Deakin, έριξε μια αποφασιστική ματιά σήμερα, 2016, με την ευκαιρία της 50ής επετείου των γεγονότων στο Wave Hill καθώς και της 40ής επετείου του νόμου περί ιθαγενικών δικαιωμάτων γης.

Τα συμπεράσματά του δεν είναι ενθαρρυντικά.

"Θα ήταν δίκαιο να υποθέσουμε ότι σήμερα -50 χρόνια μετά την απεργία και 40 χρόνια μετά την ψήφιση του ομοσπονδιακού νόμου δικαιωμάτων γης- η κατάσταση έχει βελτιωθεί μαζικά και ότι τα προβλήματα που ανέκυψαν πριν από μισό αιώνα έχουν επιλυθεί. Έχει, όμως, η κατάσταση βελτιωθεί πραγματικά;

"Μετά από μια περίοδο τριάντα χρόνων προοδευτικής βελτίωσης έως το 1996, τα πράγματα έχουν τώρα πάει προς τα πίσω. Το 1966 οι ιθαγενείς απήργησαν σε ένδειξη διαμαρτυρίας, αλλά σήμερα οι επιλογές τους είναι πιο περιορισμένες, καθώς υπάρχει λιγότερη ελευθερία. Τότε ήταν ο όμιλος του Vestey, μια ιδιωτική ομάδα εταιρειών του Ηνωμένου Βασιλείου που κακομεταχειριζόταν τους ιθαγενείς εργάτες. Σήμερα είναι η αυστραλιανή πολιτεία.

“Με το πρόγραμμα που φέρει την άσχετη ονομασία Πρόγραμμα Κοινοτικής Ανάπτυξης (Community Development Programme) επιζητείται η επαίσχυντη εκμετάλλευση σε βάρος ιθαγενών εργαζομένων στην περιφερειακή και απομακρυσμένη Αυστραλία, πληρώνοντάς τους λιγότερο από ό,τι ο βασικός μισθός, για υποχρεωτική εργασία 25 ωρών την εβδομάδα, με κανένα από τα συνήθη σύγχρονα οφέλη όπως επίδομα αδείας, σύνταξη ή δικαιώματα αδείας λόγω μακρόχρονης υπηρεσίας κ.λπ. Και αν οι άνθρωποι δεν συμμορφώνονται με τα δρακόντεια μέτρα για εργασία για το επίδομα ανεργίας (work-for-the-dole) ή την επανεκπαίδευση, χάνουν τα μέσα της ευημερίας τους σε ιστορικά πρωτοφανείς ρυθμούς και πρέπει να επιβιώσουν χωρίς εισόδημα για περιόδους έως οκτώ εβδομάδες”.

*Στοιχεία χρησιμοποιήθηκαν από την παναυστρλιανηής εμβέλειας εφημερίδα των ιθαγενών “Koori Mail”, το άρθρο “The Gurindji people farewell that “jangkarni marlaka”', Crikey 22/10/2014, το σύνδεσμο indigenousrights.net.au/land_rights/wave_hill_walk_off,_1966-75/a_petition_to_the_governor-general, retrieved 15/8/2016 και το άρθρο “50th Anniversary Of The Wave Hill Walk-off -- A Reflection Of The Past, Present And Future”, Tasmanian Times 19/8/2016.

**Το κείμενο δημοσιεύτηκε εδώ: http://libcom.org/history/wave-hill-walk-1966-1975. Ελληνική μετάφραση “Ούτε Θεός-Ούτε Αφέντης”, Σεπτέμβης 2016.

image gurindji.jpg 0.15 Mb

indonesia / philippines / australia / anti-fascism / opinion / analysis Thursday September 01, 2016 19:13 byMelbourne Anarchist Communist Group

All efforts must now be made to bring the unions into the struggle. This will be difficult, though, due to the cowardly nature of the union bureaucracy. The message must be got through to all unionists that racism is fatal to working class solidarity.

Despite a burst of publicity at its first appearance, Reclaim Australia (RA) has been eclipsed by the certifiable fascists of the United Patriots Front (UPF). The UPF announced themselves in May last year, when they attempted to march on Richmond Town Hall, but they got a hiding. They have had similar experiences on repeated occasions in Melbourne, either being blocked by anti-fascists or cowering behind masses of cops. Their mobilisations in Bendigo, however, have been far more successful, each time outnumbering the anti-fascists who came out to counter them.

This hasn't been all. Alarmingly, on 1 November the UPF visited the Melbourne Anarchist Club and radio station 3CR, in unspoken but clear acts of intimidation. Then, on 26 June, the UPF and the even more thuggish True Blue Crew decided to counter an anti-racist rally in Coburg. To cut a long story short, the fascists eventually got another hiding, but not before things nearly went the other way.

Meanwhile, overseas, fascist groups attack refugees in Greece, Italy, Germany and Sweden – often with impunity. The Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacists rally in the United States, inflicting grievous bodily harm on anti-fascists who come out against them. The rise of Fascism is world-wide.

Fascists are not, however, merely thugs with swastika tattoos and convictions for violent assault. There are many open fascist parties in parliaments in Europe, including Golden Dawn in Greece and Jobbik in Hungary. The Front National in France and the Freedom Party of Austria, though less extreme and denying their fascist heritage, are on the verge of taking over government. Finally, though Donald Trump in the United States is not a fascist, his extreme Right populism is providing fascists an umbrella under which to organise.

Back here in Australia, we see the return of Pauline Hanson, who has come out on top in the struggle to be the mouthpiece of the extreme right. Having been granted uncontested space to spew her racist bile on morning television, her party has reaped a swag of Senate seats in the recent election. Like Trump, she isn't a fascist, but her party is infested with them and they will likely grow in influence while she's publicly engaged in her infamous xenophobia.

It is a burning necessity that all working class organisations mobilise against the far right, both populist and fascist, before the menace grows even larger. The UPF is the most powerful fascist organisation in Australia for 80 years, while Hanson has the most successful extreme right parliamentary presence ever. Both tap into a deep well of Islamophobia nourished by years of media and government demonisation of Muslims. Their claim that the jihadis and their crimes are representative of all Muslims is a dangerous lie.

The return of Hanson is both a threat and an opportunity. Her policies are deadly dangers, but by seeking to scapegoat both Muslims and Asians simultaneously, she makes herself more opponents and renders herself easier to rebut in arguments with workers who might be attracted to some of her ideas.

All efforts must now be made to bring the unions into the struggle. This will be difficult, though, due to the cowardly nature of the union bureaucracy. The message must be got through to all unionists that racism is fatal to working class solidarity.

THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW

Melbourne Anarchist Communist Group (MACG)

https://melbacg.files.wordpress.com

*Article from the new issue of MACG's newsletter "The Anvil", No 5/1

indonesia / philippines / australia / community struggles / press release Friday July 01, 2016 23:04 byMelbourne Anarchist Communist Group

The Australian Federal election campaign grinds on, with most people being heartily sick of the whole thing. Neither the Liberals nor Labor are trusted by most voters and the major parties are horrified at the drift of voters to minor parties of all stripes. Anarchists have something to say about this, something deeper than just advising people about voting. We say if you’re looking to fix the problems in society, Parliament is the wrong place.

ELECTIONS ARE NOT THE ANSWER

The Australian Federal election campaign grinds on, with most people being heartily sick of the whole thing. Neither the Liberals nor Labor are trusted by most voters and the major parties are horrified at the drift of voters to minor parties of all stripes. Anarchists have something to say about this, something deeper than just advising people about voting. We say if you’re looking to fix the problems in society, Parliament is the wrong place.

Real power in a capitalist society doesn’t reside in Parliament, but in the boardrooms of the major companies, in the editorial rooms of the mainstream media, in the officers’ mess of the military, in the courts and in the offices of top public service mandarins. Even if a government reflecting the electorate’s opinions came to office, it would be hamstrung by the power of society’s real rulers. It would be unable to implement its program and the results of its legislation would be contrary to expectations. There is no Parliamentary road to a just society.

And what’s on offer anyway? Exhibit One is the Liberal Party, the open mouthpiece of Big Business and advocate for capitalism itself. Its actions of the last few years speak for themselves – the Liberal politicians replaced Tony Abbott with Malcolm Turnbull purely because they needed a better salesperson.

Exhibit Two is the Labor Party. This cowardly bunch is far more committed to occupying the Treasury benches than standing up for their supporters. They want to govern capitalism far more than they want to change it. Over time, they have become the neo-liberals they once denounced, because capitalism demands a neo-liberal policy framework. If they have the misfortune to win office it will be their allotted task to kick Labor voters where it hurts, all the while arguing that the Libs would kick harder. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

Exhibit Three is The Greens. If this mob ever offered a real alternative to the major parties, they gave that up the day they decided to tackle global warming by putting a price on carbon. Their intention to tackle climate change is not in doubt, but they ignore the way carbon pricing would make working class people pay – and how this would drive workers into the arms of climate deniers and the coal mining bosses. Their carbon price flows from their belief that a just and sustainable capitalism is possible. Greens members are not advised to go shopping for used cars on their own.

Let’s leave aside the assorted Right Wing Nut Jobs (pausing only to note that they range from religious bigots to bona fide Fascists) and the plethora of middle-of-the-road to mildly progressive single issue groups – listing them would send readers to sleep. Their grievances and causes, to the extent to which they are legitimate, will bog down in direct proportion to their significance to the operations of capitalism. If it would stop the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, it would have Buckley’s chance of being implemented. Finally, the Nick Xenophon Team presents a moderate image even while they peddle protectionism and uphold Australia’s imperialist military build-up.

What about the various Socialist parties running in selected electorates and some Senate races? No, there’s still no Parliamentary road for them. While it’s no crime to enter Parliament in order to oppose every capitalist government consistently, refusing them confidence and blocking attacks on the working class, the campaign necessary to get there is a massive waste of time and effort. Any opponent of capitalism would get a better reward for their efforts by building a working class movement in workplaces and communities, rather than entering a forum where the rules are rigged against us.

Whoever wins this election will find a global economy which is stagnating and threatening to spin completely out of control, while international events are both breaking up the European Union and building towards a conflict between the United States and China. Parliament, necessarily focused on the national arena, cannot solve these questions. Under pressure from uncontrollable global events, it will inevitably attack the working class to solve the problems of capitalism in Australia. Removing the capitalists from power is necessary, but Lucy Parsons was right when she said:
“Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth”

WORKERS’ REVOLUTION IS THE ANSWER

Melbourne Anarchist Communist Group

https://melbacg.wordpress.com

indonesia / philippines / australia / anarchist movement / press release Monday June 20, 2016 17:13 byDmitri (republishing)

As many of you know, Jack 'The Anarchist' Grancharoff died on the 15th of May, at his home in Quaama, South Coast of New South Wales, Australia, aged 91. He died 'with his boots on' - he seemed to have risen from a chair, with an open book and a glass of something interesting on the table, collapsed onto the floor and was found a day or two later.

Celebration of Jack Grancharoff's life

Hi everyone,

As many of you know, Jack 'The Anarchist' Grancharoff died on the 15th of May, at his home in Quaama, South Coast of New South Wales, Australia, aged 91. He died 'with his boots on' - he seemed to have risen from a chair, with an open book and a glass of something interesting on the table, collapsed onto the floor and was found a day or two later.

Maybe he was researching an article that I'd asked him to write on Bakunin...in any case, doing one of the things that he loved. Self educated in the finer things of life, from a shepherd's background, he loved thinking, discussing, arguing, nature, farming and revolutionary change, among many other things.

Jura Books will hold a celebration of his life at 5pm on Saturday, 2nd July - close to his birthday on the 5th.

Jura's address is 440 Parramatta Rd, Petersham.

Ph 9550 9931

Web: www.jura.org.au

Directions:
Buses from Central/City: 436/438/440/480/461 (just get out at the stop before Norton St and it's a short walk to the west, away from the city on the same side of the road. Or if you get off at Norton St, then go back to Parramatta Rd and cross at the next set of lights, and Jura is about four shops past the pub on the corner of Crystal St, towards the city).
Trains: about a 7-10 minute walk to the East along Crystal St from Petersham Station, towards Parramatta Rd and Jura is a few shops along, past the pub on the corner.

Car parking in Charles St, Crystal St, or a little on Parramatta Rd just out side Jura.

There will be a slide show of photos, a photo exhibition, and two short films, one at Quaama in his backyard praising his sheep, and one in Italy of Jack singing 'Bella Ciao' in Italian (a real hoot!). If anyone would like to say a few words in his memory, that would be welcome to commemorate his amazingly full and fascinating life. We'll have some nibblies and drinks, please bring something along, too, if you can.

Hope to see you there,

Ciao, Sid for the Jura Collective.

indonesia / philippines / australia / anti-fascism / opinion / analysis Saturday June 18, 2016 19:36 byGeorgeK

If you have been following what’s been going with the fash over the past year, you might want to skip to the paragraph under the image of the Herald Scum. Otherwise, read on:

Fascism, Anti-fascism, and a coffee shop full of white liberals

by GeorgeK

If you have been following what’s been going with the fash over the past year, you might want to skip to the paragraph under the image of the Herald Scum. Otherwise, read on:

Over the past few years there has been increase in the number of nationalist and fascist organizations in Australia. Currently their main unifying mantra is a hatred of Islam and a paranoia that Muslims, via the sale of Halal products and the building of Mosques, are enacting a massive conspiracy to impose Sharia Law on honest and simple “Aussies”. In a ham-fisted attempt at sleight-of-hand these groups claim that they are not racist because “Islam is not a race”. Groups such as the United Patriots Front, Reclaim Australia, True Blue Crew, Party For Freedom, and the Australian Liberty Alliance are trying to capitalize on the fertile ground prepared by the LNP and the Labor Party’s racist policies, most notably in their willingness to use refugees’ lives as political footballs. Many people have heard of these groups but believe them to be trivial entities, however, one only needs to visit their social media pages to see that even in their current state they are a serious threat to public safety, particularly to people of color and women. Calls for assault, rape and murder of Muslims, First Nations Peoples, Africans, anyone that you care to mention that is not white/Anglo/European and in agreeance, are commonplace.

Let’s be clear here: this is not simply freedom of speech that fascist groups are exercising. It is racist misogynist hate speech, it is an incitement to violence against minorities, and it is illegal. Not that police or federal agencies seem too concerned. Aside from the horrific long-term aims of these far right groups, the possibility of individuals carrying out US-style killings is certainly not out of the question. If and when something like this does happen, we will wonder how on earth it was not prevented when the intent was clearly and publicly declared for all and sundry.

Allowing these groups to organize themselves, to publicly and freely gather, is to allow them to reaffirm each other in their beliefs, and therefore to strengthen and grow. They do not simply exhaust themselves if the public pays them no attention: no one was paying attention when on 5th April 2015 they managed to organize simultaneous rallies across Australia, many of which went largely unchallenged. In fact, unless there is violent clash between anti-fascist activists and the far-right the media does not pay any attention, but these groups still grow. They have subsequently held other rallies around the country, most notably in Melbourne and Bendigo. This year they have stepped up their activities by not only holding their own rallies, but going and disrupting peaceful anti-racist rallies, as well as other gatherings such as a Halal food festival in Melbourne. As of today they have planned at least two more events in the next month. Neither the police nor any major political party has taken any steps to prevent these actions – they have merely washed their hands of the whole situation, apart from a concerted effort to increase police powers to limit the rights of protestors. The only group of people who have identified the far-right fascist threat and have organized to directly confront it are anti-fascist and anti-racist individuals and organizations, many of whom were in Coburg last Saturday.

The counter protesters who go to prevent these gatherings understand that this is the nascence of a fascist movement. The idea that these right-wing groups will simply exhaust themselves and disappear is clearly unfounded, and deeply irresponsible, particularly considering the current political climate. Successive Australian governments are systematically abusing the human rights of political prisoners to such an extent that is inspiring the far right even in Europe (for example British UKIP and German NDP). Australian fascist groups are capitalizing on this and pushing for what are essentially White Australia policies.

front
fascists and anti-fascists are equal in the eyes of The ‘Scum
Given this context, the response by commentators and the corporate and national media has been a disgraceful combination of deliberate obscuration of the facts and smug, white complacency. Consider the fact that the vast majority of reports focus solely on the fact that there was a brawl and that police used capsicum spray to quell “extremists from both sides”. It is reprehensible to call both neo-Nazis and the people opposing them “extremists”: they are simply not equivalent. The idea that in the absence of the counter-protestors the Nazis would have simply gone home is laughable if it wasn’t such a strong indication of the naivety of people who are relied upon to provide intelligent commentary.

Indeed, some people have tried to blame Councilor Sue Bolton, who organized the initial “Moreland Says No To Racism” rally, as the effective instigator of the fight that took place on Bell St. Think about that a little: the reason there was violence in Coburg was because people organized to peacefully speak out against racism. Never mind that it was the United Patriots Front and the True Blue Crew who decided to bus in flag-waving meatheads in from Bendigo and Melton to cause trouble. And in a small measure they did succeed in this aim by causing the Greens Councilor and Wills candidate Samantha Ratnam to not participate.

If the idea of opposing racist fascists is more distasteful than the fascists themselves then your conception of being anti-racist and anti-fascist is severely warped. Taking the moral high ground by doing exactly nothing about the growth of extreme right-wing ideology is having your cake and eating too, and it is not on . The much abused corpses of Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King have been wheeled out in order remind us that “dialogue” and “true compromise” are what stops single-minded racist ideologies – by people who do no such thing. This public performance of appalled outrage also involved a performed dewy-eyed innocence of foundational (and ever present) Australian racism: it’s as if genocide has never been committed here, and we have all lived in glorious harmony until the riff-raff mucked it up.

Armchair expert Ben Birchall was much more concerned that “discourse will not be any richer” following the Saturday clash than the fact that there would be a large gathering of neo-Nazis in his local park. He then curses the people putting themselves on the line while he strolls off to have a coffee (a multicultural coffee and za’atar, because see how he’s being anti-racist?).

twitter
Darren Gray’s article didn’t even mention fascism or Nazis: its main point of this article was how “surreal” Coburg felt on the day. Thrilling! Emily Wood’s article detailed how residents didn’t want racism in their neighborhood, but then somehow failed to mention that one side of the “racially fueled brawl” were neo-Nazis. Other pieces, such as this one by Bianca Hall, were more concerned about the unseemly nature of the brawl rather than the truly threatening ideology of the UPF and TBC. Her article also used people of color as currency to validate her own perspective while actually erasing the many people of color and Coburg locals who had the courage to get out on the street and eject the fascist intrusion.

I imagine these people think of themselves as anti-racist, but, as a person of color who turned up to chase those bigots out of town, they are symptomatic of the worth placed on words and not actions. They disgust me. People who do not do any anti-racist or anti-fascist activism do not suddenly get to loftily dictate strategy or morality to the people who are actually affected by racism and/or who do the hard work of anti-racism. Retweets don’t count.

You can bet that they will not say a word against what I predict will be the increasingly racist coverage of future clashes between fascist and antifascist supporters: only last Monday the Herald Sun front-page had a completely decontextualized photo (image uploaded soon) of Coburg locals, people of color, standing in front of police and yelling. Out of the frame of view are the fascists, but what editors wanted the public to see and react to were young Muslim men shouting while standing in front of riot police. There is already talk of a ban on face masks at rallies restarting the niqab/burka arguments, affecting Muslim women and their fundamental right to exist on the street.

And in future, as more people of color gain courage and start to take to the streets in response to fascist groups, expect to see the focus move from “masked vigilantes” to “riotous migrants who have failed to integrate”. And where will these commentators be? In a warm coffee shop, on Twitter, congratulating each other on their high moral standards.

*Published in https://secretagoo.wordpress.com

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