BY KYLIE MOON
MELBOURNE The October 30 flag-burning action at Melbourne University, organised by Socialist Alternative, has attracted nationwide media attention, and much corporate media condemnation.
The 100-strong action involved the burning of the US and Australian flags. About 40 right-wing students heckled and sang the Australian anthem very loudly.
Aside from attempts from the right-wing students to stop the burning, the action was peaceful. Yet those involved in burning the flag have come under severe attack.
The November 2 Australian editorial condemned the action as treasonous, 3AW's Stan Zemanek has made personal attacks on the activists and deputy prime minister John Anderson has even proposed changing the federal crimes act to make it illegal to burn the Australian flag.
The right-wing controlled Melbourne University Student Union has used the flag-burning action as a pretext to launch another major attack on the student left. On November 3, MUSU revoked the pay of the two elected education officers, who are members of Socialist Alternative. After they were evicted from their office, the union building was closed from the 2nd floor up by security guards, preventing any attempt by students to re-occupy the union.
Given "our" government's racist refugee policy; its treatment of Indigenous people; its use of violence against protesters; its support of US foreign policy; and its oppressive military role in the Asia-Pacific, it is not surprising that many young people are proud to be "un-Australian". Many want to distance themselves from the First World arrogance and oppression identified with this country.
The un-Australian slogan has featured on many T-shirts, posters and signs at demonstrations for years.
So why has this relatively small action received such severe condemnation? A 45,000-strong anti-war rally on October 13 received much less media coverage. It could hardly be because Anderson thinks that terrorists are hiding out in Melbourne University, just waiting for an opening like burning the flag. Could anything be more ridiculous?
Behind the mock outrage is an attempt to whip up support for attacks on freedom of speech and the right to demonstrate. Since the Bali bombings, government and media honchos have attempted to exploit fear and patriotism to increase police powers and attack left-wing and internationalist protesters.
In the past few weeks we've seen violent and racist ASIO raids, government attempts to close down web sites, including well-known left-wing web site <http://www.indymedia.org.au> and the Victorian Liberal Party has announced plans to ban the right to picket.
The NSW ALP government has attempted to stop any marches from taking place during the November 14-15 World Trade Organisation "mini-ministerial" meeting in Sydney.
If the government succeeds in banning flag burning, it will be a major step forward for those who argue that peaceful burning a flag does not harm any person dissent can be "dangerous". What form of protest could be next? Banging on a fence, marching down a street, holding up a sign? Who draws the line and decides what is acceptable?
Clearly, criminalising Australian flag burning will not stop Australians being victims of terrorist actions. Far better would be for the government to abandon an anti-Third World foreign policy, open our country's doors to the world's starving and desperate and stop supporting Israel's attempts to annihilate the Palestinians.
In the coming period, we are going to need to fight to maintain our basic right to dissent, to protest and to condemn our government's actions loudly and visibly. Far from shutting ourselves into a militarised state of fear, Australians should be demanding "our" government engage with the world in ways which increase equality and decrease starvation, poverty and political oppression.
[Kylie Moon is the Melbourne district organiser of the socialist youth organisation Resistance.]
From Green Left Weekly, November 13, 2002.
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