'Pre-emptive' anti-war protest

BY ROHAN PEARCE

MELBOURNE —
“Even if United Nations Security Council support for this war is granted,
the agenda behind the war won't change”, Kim Halpin, a member of Resistance
and the La Trobe University education officer, told a 300-strong rally
outside the state library on September 29. The protest was organised by
the socialist youth organisation Resistance and the Palestine Solidarity
Network.

Jackie Lynch, the Socialist Alliance candidate for the state seat of
Northcote, also addressed the protest, saying that “George W. Bush is our
enemy, [Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon is our enemy, John Howard
is our enemy!” The rally was called to oppose Australian support for a
war against Iraq and to support Palestinians fighting against Israel's
occupation.

Rally organisers described it as a “pre-emptive strike against war and
racism”. The secretary of the Australian Arabic Council, Alex Kouttab,
told the protesters that in Palestine “every scrap of infrastructure we
managed to put together has been destroyed by Israel”.

The participants, many attending the national Resistance conference,
were also addressed by Katerina Lecchi, a member of the Victorian Peace
Network; and Michael Denborough from the Nuclear Disarmament Party.

Rally participants marched to Victoria's parliament, waving red banners
with images of Argentinian revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara printed
on them, chanting “Israel, USA, how many kids have you killed today?” and
“No war on Iraq, end the sanctions now!”

Marcus Pabian, chair of the rally and an activist in the north-east
Melbourne branch of Resistance, told Green Left Weekly that “Resistance
has committed itself to building a movement that can fight against this
war drive by the White House and its supporters in the Australian corporate
and political elite”.

From Green Left Weekly, October 2, 2002.

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From GLW issue 511