For actions, not words, against racism
MARINA CARMAN, Resistance national anti-racism spokesperson, answers questions about Resistance's approach to fighting One Nation and racism.
Question: Why is fighting racism a political issue? Why doesn't everybody on all sides of the political fence just band together, condemn Hanson and stand up for tolerance and harmony?
Anyone can say that they are not racist and are for tolerance and racial harmony, but this is just empty rhetoric if their actions are racist.
Hanson herself declares that she is not a racist. But suggesting that Aborigines shouldn't have the right to vote is racist and this is what Hanson meant when she said that "if Australians knew today what had been foreshadowed for them they would have thought twice" about their vote in the 1967 referendum.
Hanson's views on Asians are also clearly racist: "My fear is that if we keep going the way that we're going ... the yellow race will rule the world, because they have a different culture".
Resistance believes that racism is not only about words and attitudes, but above all about policies and actions.
The major parties and Hanson feed off each other. Hanson has been gaining legitimacy from policies implemented by the Coalition. Many of the most savage cuts and attacks since the Liberals took power have been directed against migrants and Aborigines.
The Coalition's amendments to the Native Title Act were racist measures. The comments by former Liberal Aboriginal affairs minister Ian Viner QC, that the government bill "has the single purpose of reducing the legal rights of a specific race of people" illustrates the explicitly racist motives of the Coalition. The main beneficiaries are a tiny minority of already wealthy pastoralists and mining companies.
The government exploits racist sentiments because it helps it to justify cutting support and services for new migrants and Aborigines. Again, the main beneficiaries of these cutbacks are the wealthy. An average taxpayer now subsidises big companies by $872 a year. Meanwhile, the rich evade at least $6 billion in taxes each year.
The Liberals prefer people's anger at increasing poverty, unemployment and insecurity, caused by their "steal from the poor and give to the rich" policies, to be directed against Aborigines and migrants, who are scapegoated to ensure that that frustration is not directed against Liberal and Labor.
This is why the fight against racism can't simply be directed against Pauline Hanson. It also must confront the politics of the Coalition and Labor. This is why racism is a political issue.
Question: Why does Resistance keep organising walkouts and actions against One Nation?
One-off rallies are not enough to tackle racism seriously. Racism is on the rise and needs to be actively confronted.
The major parties told us that if we just ignored her, she would go away — but she clearly hasn't. One Nation gained 23% of the primary vote in the Queensland election and early polls indicate that it may gain a significant vote in the federal election.
History shows that the most significant steps forward in the campaign against racism have been made through ongoing mobilisations and campaigns which involve thousands of people.
Many overtly racist laws remained on the books in Australia right up until the late 1960s and early 1970s. In many cities and towns, Aboriginal people were excluded from public swimming pools, parks and pubs; night-time curfews were enforced. Aboriginal workers were paid extremely low wages, children were taken away from their mothers by state governments.
Australia was always seen as one of the leading racist regimes. In fact, the founders of the brutal apartheid system of South Africa based many of their laws on the Australian system.
These laws changed only because of the pressure of the large youth radicalisation of the '60s. These movements fought against racism and sexism and for youth and student rights. The laws changed because the ideology of racism had been so widely discredited that they could no longer be justified.
Today Howard and Hanson are trying to turn back the clock to the social policies of the 1950s. Fortunately, most young people agree that racism is wrong and are prepared to stand up against this.
Again today, it will be people on the streets who can win. We need to continue to organise ourselves and educate people about what racism is and how to fight it.
Rallies have to be a focal point to convince more and more people to take action against racism. Rallying on the streets and walking out of school show our determination to fight racism.
While individual activities, like wearing coloured ribbons against racism, can be useful, focusing on this does not encourage people to get involved in an ongoing way. Rather it encourages people to think, I've done my bit, life can continue now.
People's power organised through a campaign on the streets will bring people together and build our determination to fight racism.
Question: But how can you stop people supporting One Nation?
You have to look at why people accept racist arguments and support politicians like Hanson. Racism feeds on demoralisation, passivity and defeats.
Many older Australians are demoralised because they have been unable to stop successive governments from reducing their wages, cutting their jobs and selling off publicly owned assets.
The only alternative that many can see, unfortunately, is Hanson. One Nation seems to have easy solutions to almost everything: just get rid of migrants and Aboriginal "privilege".
A serious movement, starting with the young people who are already organising and which encourages all people to get involved, will show that there is an alternative, that we can collectively organise and fight back.
We have already made a difference: our actions have inspired hundreds of thousands of people around the country, and overseas, who have seen young people act as Australia's conscience on this important issue.
Question: What is next for Resistance? Why have you called for people to "Vote with your feet against One Nation"?
On September 30, three days before the federal election, we are organising another national rally against Hanson.
Most high school students are told that because they are under 18 and cannot vote, therefore they should not have political opinions and definitely shouldn't walk out of school! This is why we are rallying in the streets, and we want to encourage everyone who is anti-racist to demonstrate with us.
The elections are serious and will affect the lives of young people. If Hanson wins a large vote, the government, whether Liberal or Labor, will use the excuse to implement even more of One Nation's policies.
As well as her racist views, Hanson will use any position of influence to push her reactionary agenda on women, young people and against trade unions. Young people could end up with curfews and conscription, and funding to Aboriginal and migrant services could be completely abolished.
The best way that young people can have a say is through rallying and demanding action, not words, against racism.
Resistance is also organising camps, seminars, teach-ins, protest conferences and discussion groups through the school holidays to start to have a more in-depth look at the politics of fighting racism, directions for the campaign and about Resistance's socialist solutions.