Anti-war, pro-union protests at CBF

BY SARAH PEART

MELBOURNE — "Say no to war! Say no to racism!" will be the theme of the first day of a three-day blockade of the Commonwealth Business Forum (CBF).

Starting at 7am on October 3, the blockade will be addressed by refugee rights and anti-war campaigners. At 5pm, the blockade will be joined by a rally organised by the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union to protest Prime Minister John Howard's speech to the forum.

The protest will highlight the Coalition government's racist scapegoating of migrants in the wake of the terror attacks, its union bashing and the bipartisan support for the US war drive. It will be joined by a peace march which is gathering at 5pm in City Square.

According to protest organiser Kylie Moon: "The protests against the CBF will involve thousands of people coming together to demand an end to the tyranny of corporate profits over people. The companies ready to make money out of a war in the Middle East are the same companies which attack workers in the First and Third Worlds."

A 5pm mobilisation on the second day of the blockade will protest against Labor Premier Steve Bracks. The protest will condemn Bracks' Peaceful Assemblies Act which, if passed, will hinder the right to demonstrate. Protesters will also highlight the state government's failure to stop logging in the Otways or to ensure adequate pay and conditions for nurses.

The final day of the blockade will focus on condemning the head of the World Trade Organisation, Mike Moore. The protest will demand: No new World Trade Organisation round in Qatar; no implementation of the General Agreement on Trade in Services; and the cancellation of Third World debt.

From GLW issue 465