Leader of the International Socialist Organisation Zimbabwea and former MP for Highfield in Harare, Munya Gwisai, along with two representatives of the external relations committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Le Vinh Thu and Le Gia Kien, are the latest additions to the growing international speaker line-up at the World at a Crossroads conference.
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New laws have been passed in the NSW parliament that allow police to conduct secret searches of peoples homes, including the examination of computers. The new laws build on anti-terrorism legislation, but the new powers are for crimes as minor as growing a few cannabis plants.
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Hundreds of progressive activists and socialists from around the globe will descend on Sydney over Easter, for this year’s most important discussion on capitalism’s crises and the socialist solutions.
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The Australian Greens’ March 21-22 national council meeting in Perth discussed the party’s climate change policy. The council called on the Rudd government to adopt stronger emissions reduction targets.
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The Western Community Action Network (WeCAN) held its first public forum at the Footscray Town Hall on March 19.
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I attended Powershift 2009, which brought 10,000 young people together in Washington DC to demand serious action on climate change, and have a few observations to make about the North American youth climate movement.
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Below is speech delivered by Gaza Defense Committee activist Ophelia Haragli, at a March 2 protest in Sydney against former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, Dan Gillerman, who was on a speaking tour of Australia. Gillerman told the Sydney Morning Herald on February 16 that “Israeli troops should get a medal” for their massacre of 1300 civilians in Gaza earlier this year. The protest was organised by the Gaza Defence Committee http://www.gazadefencecommittee.org
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One hundred and fifty people protested in Canberra on March 21 against federal government plans to introduce a national internet filter. The protest was organised by the Digital Liberty Coalition.
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A new student group, backed by the National Union of Students (NUS), that promises to eradicate racism and hatred has been hailed by those that promote ideas based on both racism and hatred.
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Dozens of actions were held outside the offices of MPs nationwide on March 27 to protest the Rudd government’s proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS).
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On March 23, 100 students attended a demonstration at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT)_organised by the Islamic Society, as part of a long-running campaign for a dedicated Muslim prayer facility on the city campus.
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Attempts by the Australian Zionist lobby to discourage audiences from hearing visiting Israeli anti-occupation activist Jeff Halper, which included pulling an advertisement from the Australian Jewish News and cancelling a meeting at a Sydney synagogue, only served to gain media publicity for his speaking tour.