Protests against war, attacks on civil liberties

Jim McIlroy, Brisbane

A vigil on the steps of King George Square on September 11, called in support of Cindy Sheehan, mother of a US combat soldier killed in Iraq, led off several protest actions in Brisbane against the Iraq war and in defence of civil liberties under attack from the Howard government.

The vigil called by the Rally for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament, was also held "in recognition of all the people killed and injured in Iraq, in Afghanistan, Palestine and other areas of war". A number of speakers called for foreign troops to be withdrawn from Iraq, and expressed solidarity with those under occupation in the Middle East.

The next morning, a picket in protest at the Howard government's arrest and deportation of US peace activist Scott Parkin was held outside the offices of US company Halliburton, one of the major war profiteers in Iraq.

On September 13 a further protest action was held to oppose the government's move to deport Parkin. The initial plan was for protesters to turn themselves in to the Australian Federal Police "for posing the same threat to national security as Scott has — by being committed to peace and believing in community action".

However, the protesters were not able to enter the AFP's Brisbane offices. They marched to the immigration department's offices instead, where they demanded an explanation for Parkin's detention and the expulsion order issued against him by the government.

Similar protests against Parkin's detention were held in other cities, including Sydney and Melbourne.

From Green Left Weekly, September 21, 2005.

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From GLW issue 643