Kevin Bracken, the Victorian secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia, made this statement below in a personal capacity in response to the arrest of four Palestine solidarity activists on August 9.
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The heavy handed approach taken at the direction of the Victorian government to protesters condemning the Israeli oppression of the Palestinian people should be of concern to the community.
The rolling out of arcane legislation to stifle any criticism of the state of Israel is an attack on our right to free speech.
The total divorce of politicians from the best interests of those they are supposed to represent is symptomatic of the massive power imbalance in the world today.
We are the victims of a very corrupt financial system that delivers power and privilege to a very few and sentences the very many of us to their servitude.
The politicians of most of the world are their puppets and the working of the legal system here lifts the veil slightly on those who are pulling the strings.
The corporate media covers their crimes and diverts people’s attention away from the looting of our countries of cabals from within.
The government of Israel’s total denial of the humanity of the Palestinian people, their indifference to their suffering and arrogance will be their downfall.
The people of Victoria have a history that respects our right to free speech. The four incarcerated in remand today for exercising this right deserve the support of all who cherish the truth.
[Republished from http://boycottisrael19.wordpress.com .]