A massive slap in the face for Howard
The racist policies of John Howard's government took a big blow in Sydney on May 28. As Green Left Weekly went to press, hundreds of thousands of people were walking across Sydney's Harbour Bridge in a massive show of opposition to racism.
The huge turnout for the Walk for Reconciliation — including people from around NSW and even interstate — was an important victory for the forces of justice in Australia, for two reasons.
First, it showed that, despite the recent concerted efforts by the racist right, both in and outside of parliament, to scapegoat indigenous people and incite racism, masses of ordinary people maintain a strong commitment to a racism-free world. Even more importantly, it showed that they are willing, given the opportunity, to take collective, public action to achieve that end.
As a one-off event, the Walk for Reconciliation won't halt the racist offensive by Australia's elite; but we can be sure that Howard and his cabinet, and the closet racists in the ALP "opposition", were nervously taking note.
That gives us the best opportunity for some time to increase the pressure on Howard and the rest of the racist right — to not just put them on the defensive, but force them, through further mobilisations of the mass anti-racist sentiment that clearly exists, to reverse their attacks.
There can be no reconciliation without justice. We must keep organising to keep demanding: Abolish mandatory sentencing! Land rights for indigenous people! Compensate the stolen generations! Restore and increase Abstudy funding! End Aboriginal deaths in custody!