Jay Fletcher, Wollongong
At least 150 students participated in an open-air forum organised by Wollongong University's Students Against War collective entitled "No Peace Without Justice - what the media doesn't want you to know about the war on Lebanon and Palestine" on August 8.
Saeb Ali from Lebanese for Peace gave a powerful speech and read out a list of United Nations resolutions that Israel has ignored since 1948. Mohammed Shanikat from the Muslim Association of Wollongong University also spoke, as did Karlee Jones and Katie Cherrington, both activists in Resistance, on behalf of SAW.
A counter-mobilisation of around 15 people, mainly academics and Liberal Party students, held up signs accusing the student union, which supported the event and has passed a motion condemning Israel's war, of anti-Semitism and supporting terrorism. They were given time on the microphone after the main speakers to raise their arguments in support of Israel's war, which led to a debate. The loudest applause was for calls from anti-war activists for Israeli troops to immediately withdraw from Lebanon and Palestine.
Zionist intimidation had made building the rally difficult. Posters advertising the event were ripped down and SAW activists were threatened with violence in the lead-up to it. However, there has been a lot of support for anti-war stalls and petitions and, with more people coming to the SAW meetings, there's lots of energy to keep campaigning.
SAW is now helping to organise a vigil on August 17 in solidarity with the people of Lebanon and Palestine. We are also helping the Education Action Collective get the word out about the national day of action against "voluntary student unionism" on August 23, with a protest planned on the theme "Money for education, not for war and occupation".
We are also organising an anti-war teach-in the following week, and have been asked by the Illawara Mercury to provide a comment piece for the newspaper.
[Jay Fletcher is the Resistance organiser in Wollongong and an activist in SAW.]