BY ANNE O'CASEY
MELBOURNE — A crowd of around 10,000-15,000 turned out to oppose war on December 1, the day after the Victorian election.
The rally was chaired by Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia state secretary Michele O'Neil and Victorian Trades Hall Council secretary Leigh Hubbard. The speakers included Labor MP Harry Quick, Democrats Senator Lyn Allyson, Greens senator Kerry Nettle and Vanessa Hearman, representing Action in Solidarity with Asia and the Pacific and the Socialist Alliance.
Nettle spoke of the need to work with the UN to make positive changes, including challenging the position of the Security Council, that could give a genuine commitment to international peace. She also called for lifting the sanctions on Iraq and a just peace for Palestine.
Allyson told protesters that 500,000 people, mostly civilians, were likely to die as a result of war in Iraq. She argued that Saddam Hussein should be dealt with by international courts. The real threat, she argued, was Australia aligning itself with those more concerned about oil than peace.
Hearman said: "There will only be regional stability when international peace activists are working alongside the peace movement in Indonesia rather than supporting repression."
From Green Left Weekly, December 4, 2002.
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