James Vassilopoulos, Socialist Alliance candidate for the seat of Fraser

James is the convenor of the ACT Network Opposing War. ACTNOW organised one of the largest protests in the history of Canberra on March 23, 2003, involving up to 20,000 people opposed to the war on Iraq. He passionately believes that foreign troops should get out of Iraq now to stop the killing, torture and rape of the Iraqi people.

James has also been active in the Refugee Action Committee and undertook a 24-hour hunger strike as an act of solidarity with refugees. He is a high school teacher in Canberra and a fervent believer in free public education.

James has been an active socialist for 17 years and has been involved in a range of campaigns. He participated in the 300,000-strong anti-globalisation protest in Genoa, Italy, in 2001. James was a union organiser with the Communication Workers Union in 1996. He organised thousands of people in 1999 to stop the murder of the East Timorese people and to help them establish an independent country.

In the early 1990s, James participated in campaigns to save the south-east forests and was involved in the AIDEX anti-militarism protests. James first got active in socialist politics during the mass campaigns for free education against the former Labor federal government.

From Green Left Weekly, July 28, 2004.

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From GLW issue 591