By Peter Boyle
Resistance, the socialist youth organisation, has continued to receive widespread television, radio and newspaper coverage for its audacious campaigning against racism. Since Resistance called the initial round of high school walkouts against racism in Sydney and Canberra on July 2, it has won the reputation of leading the activist political opposition to the rise of Pauline Hanson's racist One Nation.
Since then, Resistance organised the biggest ever national secondary school walkout on July 24 (July 28 in Queensland) — which mobilised 14,000 students. Resistance has called another national walkout for August 28.
Resistance's campaign has been the subject of at least 12 newspaper cover stories (three in capital city dailies, five in local newspapers, three in ethnic community papers and one New Zealand daily).
The August 3 Melbourne Age ran a half-page feature on the "new breed of young socialists from Resistance" on page three, and there have been at least four other feature articles on Resistance, two editorials, seven regular columns and about 40 news articles in capital city, regional and local newspapers.
All this has provoked scores of letters, for and against the Resistance anti-racist campaign, in newspapers all around the country.
Resistance's anti-racist campaigning has been covered on all main national television channels' news programs and on several regional stations. Channel 7's Today Tonight interviewed three Resistance students after the first walkout, as did Nine Network's A Current Affair. On the day of the walkout, ABC TV featured Resistance on its 7.30 Report.
Seven Network's 11 AM interviewed two Resistance secondary student members from Melbourne. They were bullied and red-baited so badly that complaints flooded the station. 11 AM was forced to run a follow-up episode the next week with an apology by presenter Anne Fulwood for her treatment of the students.
The program aired an interview with the Reverend Tim Costello (brother of federal treasurer Peter Costello), who said he approved of the walkout against racism and would happily give his daughter permission to attend such a protest.
On July 24, A Current Affair screened a debate between Resistance's Marina Carman and One Nation's David Oldfield. Oldfield's rabid attempts to raise the "reds under the bed" bogey failed miserably.
National Action — a neo-fascist grouplet which supports One Nation and has a history of racist violence — has begun distributing a slander sheet accusing Carman of being a political "child molester" and making thinly veiled threats of violence. The slander sheet includes Carman's (fortunately incorrect) home address.
This threat has become the latest focus of media coverage for Resistance and was covered by Network Nine's Today show and ABC's 7.30 Report on August 6.
The media bully boys of the right — the talkback radio "shock-jocks" — also went on a rampage of red-baiting against Resistance. Right-wing radio talkback stars John Laws, Alan Jones and Radio 2UE's Stan Zemanek, who claims his program has the country's biggest audience for night-time radio talkback, ranted and raved against Resistance for several nights in a row.
Zemanek saved the worst of his bullying for 16-year-old Keiran Barley, a Resistance member and high school student. The one and a half hour "interview" included a phone call from a listener who identified himself as a "six-foot-something tall" "Ross" who threatened turn up at the July 24 rally and assault Keiran and other protesters. Zemanek said he understood how Ross felt.
The most excessive of the media red-bashing was exposed on ABC TV's Media Watch on August 3. Zemanek's abusive treatment of Barley was singled out for a scorching. 11 am's Anne Fulwood was judged "media reptile of the week".
Resistance national coordinator Sean Healy debated One Nation Queensland MP Shaun Nelson on ABC Radio 2BL's PM on July 24. Nelson's red-baiting and reactionary views on young people's rights contrasted sharply with Healy's call for an escalating campaign of mass protests against the racism of One Nation and the racist policies of federal and state governments.
Resistance's campaign has elicited praise from all around the country. Parents, teachers and principals have expressed support for the campaign.
Sydney Deputy Lord Mayor Henry Tsang commended the protesters. ABC's Radio National's Australia Talks Back on July 28, which featured Sean Healy as studio guest and focused on the student walkouts, attracted supportive calls from listeners, especially from rural areas.
[A full record of Resistance in the media can be accessed on the internet at <http://www.peg.apc.org/~resistance>.]