Resistance to launch magazine in

November 3, 1998
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Resistance to launch magazine in Green Left

By Sean Healy

Resistance is to have a new five-page magazine each week within Green Left Weekly, beginning next issue. Green Left Weekly's back cover and four pages inside will be made available to Australia's socialist youth organisation. It will feature a Resistance masthead and a big, bold full-colour poster cover on the issue of the moment.

The new Resistance magazine will have an exciting new look, making it part of Green Left Weekly yet distinct. It will cover high school and university activism, the latest on Resistance's campaigns and happenings, debates and issues, as well as local and international feature stories.

The new magazine will even have a cartoon character of its own — a little black sheep!

In the last three months, Resistance has shot to national notoriety for calling and organising the large walkouts by high school students against racism. The two walkouts, on July 24 and August 28, demonstrated to all that young people reject racism.

The size of the actions provoked howls of outrage from right-wing columnists (Piers Ackerman, as usual, took first prize), who screeched that young people should remain seen but not heard. Resistance, they howled, as a socialist and subversive organisation, was a threat to civilization as they know it.

The walkouts and the publicity sparked a great deal of interest in socialist ideas and in how and why Resistance organises. Since then, Resistance has been inundated with people wanting to join, to get active and to set up groups on their schools and universities and in their local areas.

The new Resistance magazine will try to address the needs and interests of this new and important generation of radicals. It is just the thing needed — it will help Resistance expand, help get socialist ideas out to a far wider and larger audience, and help new young activists become skilled and versed in socialist politics. It will closely identify Resistance with Green Left Weekly.

Resistance will cover the pressing issues facing young people. The first issue will expose attempts by high school authorities to prevent students organising. Are school administrations simply meeting their "duty of care" or are they really a conspiring to promote apathy and stamp out dissent?

The magazine will cover the latest news from the many campaigns and struggles that young people are involved in, such as the campaign against uranium mining at Jabiluka, the Reclaim the Night demonstrations, struggles against police repression — you name it, it'll be in there.

Resistance will canvass the debates raging among young activists — can feminists "reclaim" sexist language? Should we abandon the Labor Party or try to resurrect it?

It'll provide some international coverage, so we don't get lost in the preoccupations of this little country. For example: how were the French high school protests organised? What can we learn from the East Timorese student resistance?

The magazine will cover Resistance's latest plans and initiatives and report Resistance members' experiences in establishing high school groups, their role in organising demonstrations and their successes at expansion to new towns, cities and regions.

And it will include historical and political features — don't miss "Who was the real Gough Whitlam?". Ever wanted socialist ideas explained clearly and concisely? Well, that will be an aim for the Resistance magazine too.

Right now, Resistance activists throughout Australia are discussing ideas for features, arguing what should and shouldn't go in and planning large public launches of the new magazine.

In the next week, articles for the first issue will be written, rewritten, subedited, subedited again, the finishing touches put on the new look page designs, a masthead created that's both groovy-looking and readable (not as easy as it sounds!).

In the weeks to come, Resistance activists will regularly research and write feature articles, hit the streets to gather latest campaign news and think hard about presenting socialist ideas in an accessible and grabbing way.

Your input and ideas are most welcome!

Resistance magazine will be big step and one that will strengthen Green Left Weekly, strengthen Resistance and help the left and socialist movement in this country to expand.

All power to the new Resistance magazine!

[Sean Healy is national coordinator of the socialist youth group Resistance.]

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