Sydney reclaims the streets

BY ZANNY BEGG
SYDNEY — More than 1500 people gathered in Newtown for the Reclaim the Streets festival and march on December 1, protesting against the dominance of cars on city streets and the lack of control people have over their environment. Meeting at the Old Brick Works in Sydney Park, the protesters marched along King Street before ending up in Marrickville for a street party.
Before the event, police distributed letters to houses in the area explaining that they would protect "the neighbourhood" from "illegal activity" on December 1. Given this, many feared a repeat of last year's event, when police violently arrested several participants.
In the end, however, the march and festival passed without arrest. Thousands of people took to the streets in a moving carnival for people's control of public space. With no organised speakers, the message of the rally was communicated through flags, signs and street theatre.
The posters advertising the rally — emblazoned "no cars, no oil, no war" — linked the reclaim the streets movement to the US-led "war against terrorism". Leaflets advertising the December 9 anti-war protest were well received by participants.

From Green Left Weekly, December 5, 2001.

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From GLW issue 474