BY SEAN HEALY
Prime Minister John Howard has added his own shrill voice to growing official outrage about the planned September 11 mass protests against the World Economic Forum meeting in Melbourne. He has said that the world's governments "will never be deterred by violent behaviour" and vowed that the September 11-13 summit will proceed as planned at Melbourne's Crown Casino.
Howard echoed comments by Victorian Labor Premier Steve Bracks, who tried to claim that the protests would flop: "The reality is there is no great support in Victoria for opposition to the World Economic Forum. This is all imported protest and criticism."
Victorian Liberal shadow treasurer Louise Asher vented her worry that the protests would damage Victoria's business reputation. "This is a showcase event for Melbourne and I would like Melbourne to be at its best", she said, urging Bracks to use Labor's links with the trade unions to scale back the protests.
Howard, speaking at the elite boys' school Melbourne Grammar, saved his harshest words for planned high school protests on S11, claiming, "All responsible Australians will utterly condemn" school students' involvement. "This is just an insidious attempt by people who want to involve, for their own purposes, students rather than legitimately promoting debate and differences of expression within the community", he spluttered.
But protest organisers have laughed at the prime minister's intervention, saying it will only encourage a larger participation in the non-violent mass blockade. "You'd have to say he's running scared, wouldn't you", said high school student Tim Doughney, a member of Resistance, the group which is organising the student walkout. "You can see his problem: the eyes of the world will be on him, and now, instead of adulation from these corporate bigwigs, he's going to get it in the face from massed protesters."
The Democratic Socialist Party's Jorge Jorquera, active in the S11 Alliance which is coordinating the blockade, ridiculed Howard and Bracks' attempts to take the high moral ground. "Their attempt to claim they represent calm and reasoned debate is ludicrous", Jorquera said.
"Howard and Bracks are front people for a conference of the world's largest multinational corporations which wield an immense and violent power to the detriment of people and the ecology all over the globe.
"Now they want us to believe that they're peace-loving and only want 'dialogue'. Try telling that to the victims of these companies."