Anti-war teach-in helps strengthen campaign

BY
KERRYN WILLIAMS

CANBERRA — More than 100 people attended an anti-war teach-in on
April 5, organised by the ACT Network Opposing War. Most participants,
including students and academics, had attended anti-war protests in Canberra
and the surrounding region. Many ACTNOW activists appreciated the opportunity
to step out of the rapid pace of organising and discuss the issues behind
the war and the next steps for the anti-war movement.

Associate Professor Ahmad Shboul from the University of Sydney was a
key-note speaker, discussing the history and role of imperialism in the
Middle East. Shboul criticised those intellectuals who have themselves
become “casualties of war” by appearing in the media as experts on the
situation but not questioning the war or the government's position. Amid
this “silence of criticism”, now is the time to stand up and be counted,
he said.

After workshops discussing Palestine, Australian imperialism, globalisation
and the United Nations, the teach-in concluded with a panel on “Building
an anti-war movement”. Victoria University lecturer Michael Hammel-Green
gave a lively account of the movement to stop the Vietnam War, and the
lessons we can apply to the campaign today.

National Tertiary Education Industry Union industrial officer Peter
Davidson and Rick Kuhn from ACTNOW also spoke on the panel. The session
was used by many activists to discuss how to strengthen the anti-war movement
on university campuses, and how unions could play a bigger role in the
campaign.

From Green Left Weekly, April 9, 2003.

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From GLW issue 533