Victorian secondary students strike against Hanson
By Jo Williams
and Reuben Endean
MELBOURNE — On June 25, 1000 secondary students from across Victoria walked out of school to demonstrate their opposition to Pauline Hanson and the racist One Nation party. The walkout was organised by an informal group, Students Against Racism.
The rally was lively and spirited, with students cheering wildly as the racist policies of One Nation were burned, along with those of the Coalition parties and the ALP.
There was a range of speakers, including students from various secondary schools and a representative from the Jabiluka Action Group, and the rally marched to the ATSIC offices in solidarity with indigenous Australians.
Jacquie Moon, a Resistance activist and editor of Student Underground, said that young people are sick of being told that they're too young to demonstrate against Hanson. She said that Resistance, which was a key group in the campaign against racism in 1996-97, vowed to call walkouts and actions whenever Pauline Hanson came to town. Resistance is planning a national high-school student walkout against racism on July 24.
"One Nation are not only racist against Aborigines and migrants, it is also against young people. It wants to bring back the strap in schools and introduce police-enforced curfews for young people."