Demonstrations and strike actions were held throughout Australia on
Monday to protest Prime Minister John Howard's anti-social
offensive. Protest marches and numerous strikes were held in
Canberra, the capital, as well as in Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and
Darwin. The demonstrations in Australia are part of the growing
resistance throughout the world to the anti-social offensive.
People are increasingly voicing their concern over the direction of
their societies and are searching for answers of how to open the
door to progress.
In Canberra over thirty thousand trade unionists, Aboriginals,
women, youth and students and welfare activists marched through the
streets to the legislature. A group of one thousand or so broke off
from the main demonstration to enter the legislature but they were
thwarted by police. At that point a melee erupted both outside and
eventually inside the building. Police reinforcements were called
to beat back the demonstrators who apparently are not allowed in
the Australian legislature. There were reports of injuries to 60
people and police said that they "apprehended a large number of
protesters who are expected to face court." These police attacks
against demonstrators are now commonplace in all parts of the world
as reactionary forces turn all political protest into issues of law
and order and demonstrate their superior "might" to intimidate the
people.
The Australian protest was directed against the federal
government's budget cuts of $3 billion from social programs and its
proposed changes to labor legislation, the Workplace Relations
Bill.
Shawgi Tell
University at Buffalo
Graduate School of Education
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
