Australians say Trump not welcome here

August 21, 2018
Issue 
Protests are being organised to coincide with US President Donald Trump's visit to Australia. Photo: Unite Against Trump Alliance FB

An alliance of organisations and individuals have formed the Unite Against Trump Alliance in Sydney to begin coordinating a protest against US President Donald Trump when he visits Australia in November. The following statement, initiated by outgoing NSW Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon, is being circulated for sign-ons in the lead up to protests that are being organised across the country, including in Cairns, Canberra and Brisbane.

To sign on to the statement, visit the Unite Against Trump Sydney Facebook page, where you can also see all the signatories.

***

Disgracefully, Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull has invited US President Donald Trump to visit Australia. This is likely to occur after the APEC summit in PNG in November.

Donald Trump is a racist, misogynist, lying billionaire who is trying to drag global politics to the far right. His brand of extreme nationalism, Islamophobia, greed, anti-refugee, anti-immigrant, anti-women, anti-LGBTI, anti-union and anti-environment rhetoric and policies are abhorrent to the majority of the Australian public.

The Turnbull government has aligned with Trump's bigoted and militaristic global agenda at every opportunity. We want to see Australia distanced from Trump's values. His values do not represent the interests of most people on the planet or the planet itself.

More than ever we need to join together in Australia and across borders to struggle for a world that respects the equal rights and wonderful diversity of humanity, protects our fragile environment and equitably shares the enormous wealth all around us.

We call on Malcolm Turnbull to rescind Trump's invitation to Australia and for the parliament to prohibit him from speaking if his visit goes ahead.

We pledge that if Trump does visit we will meet him with mass demonstrations to show our opposition to everything his Presidency stands for.

Signed:

Lee Rhiannon, Greens Senator for NSW

David Shoebridge, NSW Greens MLC

Sydney Stop the War Coalition

Imogen Grant, President, University of Sydney Students’ Representative Council

Stephen Smyth, President CFMEU Qld Energy and Mining Division

National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) NSW

Professor Raymond Evans, Griffith University

Jeff Sparrow, author and journalist

Antony Loewenstein, author and filmmaker

Stephen Jolly, Yarra Councillor and president of Victorian Socialists

Aran Mvlvaganam, Tamil Refugee Council spokesperson and Finances Sector Union organiser

Michael Thomson, NSW National Tertiary Education Union secretary

Craig McGregor, Victorian Allied Health Professionals Association secretary (VAHPA)

Latin American Social Forum (LASF)

Sue Bolton, Socialist Alliance councillor, Moreland City Council, Victoria

Victorian Socialists

Hersha Kadkol, National Ethno-Cultural Officer National Union of Students

Jasmine Duff & Kim Stern, National LGBTI Officers, National Union of Students

Zac Solomon, President UNSW Students’ Representative Council

Stuart Traill, Electricity Supply Industry Coordinator ETU (QLD and NT Branch)

Dr Peter Slezak, academic UNSW

Hanan Dover, Muslim Community Advocate

Whistleblowers, Activists and Citizens Alliance (WACA)

Lucia Sorber, Senior Lecturer and Chair of Arabic Studies Department University of Sydney Community Action Against Homophobia (CAAH)

Sydney University Education Action Group (EAG)

Nick Reimer, academic University of Sydney

University of Sydney Students’ Representative Council

Mark Pace, National Union of Students president

Leonie Hendricks, Retired NSW Nurses and Midwives Association state secretary

Lisa Milner, academic Southern Cross University

Leonie Hendricks, Queensland Greens/CPSU organiser

Jenny Haines, academic UTS

Jacob Grech, Renegade Activists

Barbara McGrady, Indigenous photojournalist

David Brophy, Academic University of Sydney

Kirra Jackson, Vice President UTS Student Union

Pauline Pants-down

Tim Nelthorpe, NUW organiser

Patricia Cornelius, playwright

Michael Schembri, advocate Finance Sector Union and gay left activist

Grandmothers Against Detention

Coalition for Justice and Peace in Palestine (CJPP)

Close The Camps Action Collective

Cathy Peters, Convenor Coalition for Justice and Peace in Palestine

Michael Brull, writer

Lizzie O’Shea, Social Justice Officer

Maurice Blackburn Lawyers

UNSW Education Collective

Palestine Action Group, Sydney (PAG)

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