BY GRANT COLEMAN
WOLLONGONG — Six of the Illawarra's 19 high schools have been introduced to the No War Mobile as student anti-war activists continue to build the March 5 Books Not Bombs student strike.
The increasingly famous box-trailer, 2.5 metres tall and covered in anti-war slogans and posters, has visited schools before and after classes. Thousands of local students have now pledged to attend the strike.
Many have taken leaflets, posters and contact lists to circulate at their schools. Some students have started to organise contingents for the strike, including coordinating how they will get to Wollongong University for the 12.30pm rally on the day.
At St Josephs Catholic School the No War Mobile sparked debate. When a tiny contingent of pro-war students yelled abuse (from a safe distance), more students responded by coming to get leaflets to hand out, while others yelled back with anti-war slogans including "Books not Bombs".
At Warilla High School, students who had already gone into school came rushing back out after hearing about the No War Mobile. Corrimal, Albion Park, Smiths Hill and Edmund Rice schools have also been visited. The trailer has been spotted regularly driving through the streets of Kiama on the South Coast.
Mark Cunich, who is the Kiama and southern suburbs coordinator of the strike, has been overwhelmed by the response to it: "Students have been pouring out of school to get leaflets for March 5. They have grabbed extra leaflets and walked off chanting 'books not bombs' or 'no war' as they go back into school. Support has also come from the teachers. This is great considering we are asking students to walk out of school. Hopefully teachers will join us on the day!"
Cunich is confident that the strike will increase pressure on the government to withdraw Australian armed forces from the Gulf and end Australian support for an attack on innocent Iraqi civilians.
"Students have shown great interest considering that the strike is still three weeks away. At the Wollongong anti-war march on February 8, a large number of the 5000 who attended were students, and the student numbers are growing with every action. We are expecting a turn out similar to that of the Vietnam War era, when students were at the forefront of the anti-war campaign.
"This time we have a chance to stop the war before it even starts. If the strike is big enough, the message will definitely reach Prime Minister John Howard and if he continues his war drive, these protests will continue to grow. Prime ministers that ignore the students don't last too long!"
[Grant Coleman is the Wollongong strike coordinator — to help distribute leaflets or posters for the strike contact (02) 4226 2010.]
From Green Left Weekly, February 19, 2003.
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