Protest against US nuclear ship

By Mathew Munro

HOBART -- Thirty people gathered for a creative speak-out against the arrival of the US nuclear aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson on April 7. The protest was initiated by Everyone for a Nuclear Free Future (ENuFF) and Resistance.

Protesters heard speeches by ENuFF activist Valentina Marshall and Resistance member Rohan Pearce. US exchange student and Resistance member Matthew Ensner read a poem he wrote about nuclear annihilation.

Marshall pointed out that the visit was another aspect of Australia's participation in the global nuclear cycle. It was also a sign of the Tasmanian ALP state government's support for the murderous blockade of Iraq by the US.

Pearce highlighted state and federal government support for US imperialism and noted that not only had the Carl Vinson recently returned from the blockade of Iraq, but is part of the same military force that is bombing Serbia and Kosova.

The speak-out highlighted the link between the US nuclear-armed war machine's devastation of places such as Serbia and Iraq and the devastation caused by uranium mining on Aboriginal land and communities in Australia.

Protesters wore radiation suits and costumes representing mutated corpses. The protest culminated in a vocal march through the Hobart Mall and a “die-in”.

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