By Regan Davis and Tim E. Stewart
BRISBANE — "Anti-racists on your feet! Join the march on Boundary Street". This was the call of Democratic Socialists as they marched through cosmopolitan West End here on June 25.
Chants of "Hanson, Howard, racist cowards" and "Labor, Liberal: no choice. Give the working class a voice", helped swell the rally to around 300 people as onlookers clapped and cheered from the pavement. Before the rally, the local newspaper Southern News ran a lead article about the event.
The rally gathered at People's Park, a popular meeting spot for local Murris. With the crowd spilling on to the streets, Graham Matthews, Democratic Socialist candidate for the federal seat of Brisbane, began with a fiery speech about how "the social decay over the last decade has led to the rise of One Nation".
"Labor did nothing to fight racism when they were in power. They failed to take a stance in favour of land rights, or an open door policy to migrants. And they're failing to take a stance against racist policies now", he said. "That's why the Democratic Socialists are here to build a real opposition to Labor, Liberal and One Nation's racist policies."
Rally chairperson Jim McIlroy from the Democratic Socialists then introduced well-known Aboriginal activist Sam Watson and local Murri elders, who welcomed the crowd, thanking them for "sticking up for the rights of Aboriginal people". "We can't turn our backs on Pauline Hanson; we have to mobilise and support the candidates who are going to represent our views", Watson said.
Dr Hua Tran from the Vietnamese community then spoke of why minority groups shouldn't be exploited and pointed to the dangerous possibility of a return of the White Australia policy. Richard Seeto from the Chinese community said of Hanson: "Her venom has deeply injured the migrant community. It's no longer the 1950s, it's the 1990s and her views will not be tolerated by intelligent and thinking people." Seeto ended by singing a verse of the socialist anthem The Internationale.
David Lafferty from Resistance, a co-organiser of the Brisbane secondary school walkout against racism to be held on July 28, was cheered on to the platform. He said "Hanson is victimising the victims" and pointed out that Labor state premier Peter Beattie "won't speak out against One Nation's platform because, in the end, they are his policies too".
University of Queensland academic Gary McLennan began a passionate speech by thanking the Democratic Socialists and Resistance for initiating the march and said "the media have created a monster in Pauline Hanson, so now is the time to come out and resist".
The next speaker, Graham Bell from the Maritime Union of Australia, was introduced with chants of "MUA, here to stay". He reminded the protesters that history is the best judge: "John Howard never opposed apartheid in South Africa."
Ruth Ratcliffe, Brisbane Resistance branch organiser, told the rally that young people are taking a stand against racism and "demanding a real future". She said, "It's not enough to denounce One Nation. Kim Beazley and John Howard must also go." The Democratic Socialists' Karen Fletcher reminded the rally that migrants do the hardest and lowest-paid jobs in this country. "It's not enough to yell 'racist scum' outside a One Nation meeting; we need to build a political alternative", she said.
Murri identity Lionel Foggerty called on local traders to support the Murri-organised march and Resistance secondary school walkout on July 28 by closing their businesses that day, the first sitting day of the new Queensland parliament.
Other speakers included Brian Webb from the International Socialist Organisation and Mike Byrne of the Democratic Socialists.
To end the rally, Mark Cronin was accompanied by saxophonist Matt Blackburn in a musical tribute to Aboriginal dancer Daniel Yock, who died in the Brisbane City Watch-house on November 7, 1993.