Perth protest against Howard
By Sarah Stephen
and Katie Miles-Barnes
PERTH — On January 25, 150 people gathered outside Government House to peacefully protest against an address by John Howard. The rally was opposing the Wik 10-point plan, soon to be reintroduced to the Senate.
Protesters were outnumbered by tastefully dressed guests attending the garden party, but angry chanting of anti-racist slogans was directed at cars entering.
Aboriginal activist Yaluritja, who co-chaired the rally with Ana Kailis from the Democratic Socialist Party, said there would be no reconciliation without justice. "They're not practising racism — they're bloody professionals at it; they've got it down to a fine art. He wants to create a holocaust in Australia. Give him hell like he deserves."
Wally Pritchard, state secretary of the Maritime Union, told the rally that a Japanese apology was expected by the Australian government, "yet they can't apologise to or compensate the stolen generation".
He asked, "If John Howard is allowed to have a spiritual connection with the Union Jack, why are Aborigines' spiritual connections with the land any different?".
Greens Senator Dee Margetts described the Wik legislation as "the most complex, nasty legislation ever. When things are going badly, they find someone to kick, someone to blame. If half the people supporting the Wik legislation knew what it was really about, they wouldn't support it."
Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor's Stuart Munckton, pointed out the hypocrisy of the Australian government's description of the 1991 massacre of 250 people in Dili as an "aberration".
Other speakers — from Resistance, the International Women's Day collective, the Democratic Socialist Party, the Jabiluka Action Group and Kim Beazley — slated the Howard government's attacks on every section of the population, including women, young people, gays and lesbians, the aged and students.