BY SARAH PEART
MELBOURNE — On the first anniversary of the September 11-13 protest against the World Economic Forum, anti-corporate activists organised an all-day protest outside the city's main Nike store. It was the 26th successive week of protests outside the store.
Protesters arrived early and by 10am banners were up, drums were beating and protesters were shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the store. Speakers informed the crowd of the crimes of Nike and other corporations.
The "S11+1" protest included several creative innovations. One activist erected a "clothes line of shame" between a tree and the traffic lights, on which clothing made with sweatshop labour was hung. Each item was labelled with the name of the company or store retailing it. Brand names shamed included Nike, Sussan, GAP and David Jones.
Street theatre performers and life-size puppets added to the excitement of the protest. One group of activists made a paper mache head of Queen Elizabeth, who will be coming to Australia for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting next month.
Protesters chanted and danced on the footpath. A group of refugee rights activists arrived with a portable "detention centre". Passers-by stopped to read the placards that were strung around the cage, giving the facts about asylum seekers.
During the morning, police became frustrated with the picket and announced that protesters were "besetting" the premises. They asked protesters to create a small gap in the middle of the line so customers could walk through. One protester chalked on the footpath, in front of the gap: "Warning: democracy-free zone".
Many activists urged others to attend the blockade of the Commonwealth Business Forum in Melbourne on October 3-5. "This is the next big date in the calendar for anti-corporate activists", said Fred Fuentes from Resistance.
"This is our opportunity to protest many of the corporate scumbags who sit behind closed doors and make decisions that have a disastrous effect on the environment and the lives of millions around the world."
In the afternoon, protesters marched on a "corporate scumbags tour" of central Melbourne, which stopped outside Sussan's clothing store and then marched up to the Federal Court to protest the federal government's treatment of refugees. The protesters continued their protest outside the offices of Rio Tinto.
In the evening, protesters continued their S11 anniversary celebrations at Trades Hall meeting organised by the O3 Alliance. Comedian Rod Quantock helped the participants "reminisce, remember and reflect in whichever order you prefer".
The audience of more than 100 people heard toasts to S11 from Friends of the Earth's Cam Walker, Denis Evans from community radio 3CR, Jackie Lynch from the S11 Alliance, James Vassilopoulos, a Democratic Socialist Party activist who participated in the Genoa protests against the G8 summit, and Craig Johnston from the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union.