BY NICK FREDMAN
LISMORE — Plans for re-establishing the militant, anti-capitalist traditions of May Day are striking in a chord in northern NSW, with activists meeting to organise an protest rally here on April 28 and then a large contingent to the May 1 blockade of the Australian Stock Exchange in Brisbane.
The April 28 "anti-corporate rally and festival" aims not just to educate people about the effects of capitalism but to discuss and debate alternatives.
Ruth Rosenhek of the Rainforest Information Centre argues that M1 must project a vision of the future, telling Green Left "Until the balance of power is shifted into the hands of local peoples, workers and indigenous people across the world, we will continue to see accelerated destruction of the biological matrix which supports all of humanity, as well as the tens of millions of species with whom we cohabit".
M1 activists hope to involve union branches and workers in the area, the bulk of whom are in the public sector. Public Sector Association central council member Boyd Kellner told Green Left "With sustained attacks on health, education and public services globally, M1 provides a rallying point for solidarity against the ravages of corporate capitalism. M1 is an important way for labour activists to link up internationally."
Activists at Southern Cross University are also organising for M1. They plan to highlight the day as part of an April 5 action against corporatised education. The campus women's collective, meanwhile, is publicising the struggle of women textile workers against sweatshop conditions.
For more information about the festival or transport to Brisbane on May 1, phone Matt on 6621 3529.