Three more S11 groups formed
RAY FULCHER, STUART MUNCKTON
& EMA CORRO
MELBOURNE — Preparations for the S11 protests against the World Economic Forum, scheduled to occur here from September 11-13, are gathering pace, with three new campus S11 collectives formed: at La Trobe University in Melbourne, the University of Melbourne and Southern Cross University in Lismore.
At the University of Melbourne, 50 students attended the formation of an S11 collective on July 26. The group will focus on organising students to join the non-violent blockade of the WEF conference site and educating them about the threats posed by corporate "globalisation".
The group's first battle will be with the right-wing council of the Melbourne University Student Union. The council, which is dominated by Liberal and right-wing Labor students and the so-called International Association, attempted to pass a motion on July 25 banning S11 campaigners' use of union resources. The motion failed only when left councillors walked out of the meeting, leaving it without a quorum.
The group meets every Wednesday at 2pm on the second floor of Union House. To contact the group, call Keren or Miranda on (03) 8344 4808.
The day after the Melbourne University group was formed, students at La Trobe University formed an S11 collective. Despite only two days' notice, the meeting, called by Resistance and Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor (ASIET), attracted 20 students, including activists from the Student Representative Council, the Political Action Collective and Friends of the Earth.
The group meets every Thursday at 1pm at Humanities 3, room 208. For more information, contact Chris or Nigel at the La Trobe Student Representative Council on (03) 9479 2977 or Stuart at Resistance on (03) 9639 8622.
At Lismore's Southern Cross University (SCU), the new S11 group has flooded the campus with information and activity. Videos have been shown in the main plaza, stalls and speak-outs have been happening every lunchtime and teach-ins and forums are also being planned.
The collective's weekly meetings have each been attended by around 40 people, including independent activists and representatives from the SCU Student Representative Council, Resistance, Global to Local, Friends of the Earth, the Democratic Socialist Party, ASIET and the SCU Environment Collective.
University environment officer and Resistance member Megan Whitefox told Green Left Weekly, "The anti-corporate campaign has hit a real chord in this area, particularly around issue of international solidarity. I think it would be even stronger if we campaigned against racism around the Olympics in September."
Buses to Melbourne are being planned, as well as solidarity actions in Lismore to coincide with S11. For more information, contact the Student Representative Council on (02) 6620 3044 or Resistance on (02) 6622 7029.