rioters bloc
12th September 2005, 13:09
We just had a Sydney action outside AFP headquarters on Goulburn St in the CBD. Lots of people there! Wow! There's more stuff being planned...more info soon. There was a action early this morning at Halliburton by the Brisbane crew. The news coverage have been fantastic too.... so much! So much from us, so little from the dodgy government!
This is the update from Melbourne (i love the creative "tourorist" action)
Approximately 40 people just held a protest against the detention and inevitable deportation of Scott Parkin outside the Australian Federal Police headquarters in Melbourne. People dressed as tourists and wrote on suitcases, "Deport me, I'm a Tourorist" hee hee.
It was a really exciting action and there are a bunch of Melbourne people who want to continue doing actions. We also got heaps of media.
There will be actions targeting war-profiteers, ANZ Bank tomorrow. People will meet in the city at midday on the corner of Bourke and Swanston streets.
ANZ have been chosen by the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq to assist with the establishment of the Iraq Trade Bank, a trade finance specialist who will facilitate international trade as part of Iraq's reconstruction. ANZ are seeking to directly benefit from the war.
The ANZ action tomorrow follows ANZ actions as part of the Sydney Forbes protest, where all CBD branches were closed for three days after activists disrupted four branches simultaneously.
See the media release that was put out today, linking Scott's detention and deportation with attempts by the Federal Police, ASIO and other security agencies to intimidate student activists on University campuses.
Stay tuned to www.sydney.indymedia for more reports on today's Melbourne
action.
Media release:
US Peace activist targeted by ASIO: local activists say "we're next".
Texas based peace activist Scott Parkin, who had his visa revoked on
Saturday 10 September, will be deported today. At 3pm today, Melbourne
activists will stage a protest against Parkin's detention and deportation at
the Australian Federal Police offices, 383 Latrobe Street Melbourne.
Activists are angered that the Government has specifically targeted Scott, a
campaigner against companies profiting from the Iraq war such as ANZ bank
and Halliburton. Scott has not committed any crime and has not been charged
with any offence.
One of Parkin's preferred campaign strategies is political communication
through street theatre. In solidarity with Scott, and to protest his
detention and deportation, Melbourne activists will stage a mock
"mass-deportation", the message being that if Scott – a non-violent activist
who is opposed to the war on Iraq - is detained and deported, all activists
organising for progressive social change are equally targeted by the
government's so-called War on Terror.
Rory Gutterson, a Melbourne activist and friend of Scott Parkin, said,
"Unfortunately for the Federal government, ASIO and the Federal police, we
can see the government's actions for what they are: a lame attempt to
silence dissent.
"In actual fact, police intervention will have no impact whatsoever on the
ability of activists to politically organise. The Government is trying to
stooge the public into believing there is a need to strengthen anti-terror
laws", Mr Gutterson said. On Thursday John Howard announced control orders
and preventative detention measures giving the AFP and ASIO powers to
control people who have not been convicted of any crime.
Since the attacks in New York on September 11, anti-Muslim sentiment has
affected Muslim students around the country who have been directly and
indirectly targeted by police, University administrators and other students.
In recent weeks, the Federal police have focussed unwarranted attention on
student activists simply for organising non-violent protest activities.
Prior to the Forbes 500 protest at the Opera House, police requested
voluntary interviews with students from University of Technology Sydney
(UTS) regarding the organisation of protest activities. All protest
activities at the Forbes conference were specifically non-violent. A student
at the University of Sydney was arrested while handing out flyers for an
anti-VSU rally.
The Monash Student Association (MSA) Queer Department's internet chat site
has been monitored by Federal police who have laid false accusations that
queer activists are planning "violent" protests in relation to the arrest of
a gay rights activist in Bali.
Federal police have also monitored a forum on the war on terror and human
rights at University of Western Sydney Bankstown. University security are
taking a hard line against student activists at Bankstown after Education
Minister Brendan Nelson put pressure on the Vice Chancellor regarding the
war on terror forum.
For comments regarding activist's responses to the deportation of Scott
Parkin, contact:
Rory Gutterson on 0409 561 837
This is the update from Melbourne (i love the creative "tourorist" action)
Approximately 40 people just held a protest against the detention and inevitable deportation of Scott Parkin outside the Australian Federal Police headquarters in Melbourne. People dressed as tourists and wrote on suitcases, "Deport me, I'm a Tourorist" hee hee.
It was a really exciting action and there are a bunch of Melbourne people who want to continue doing actions. We also got heaps of media.
There will be actions targeting war-profiteers, ANZ Bank tomorrow. People will meet in the city at midday on the corner of Bourke and Swanston streets.
ANZ have been chosen by the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq to assist with the establishment of the Iraq Trade Bank, a trade finance specialist who will facilitate international trade as part of Iraq's reconstruction. ANZ are seeking to directly benefit from the war.
The ANZ action tomorrow follows ANZ actions as part of the Sydney Forbes protest, where all CBD branches were closed for three days after activists disrupted four branches simultaneously.
See the media release that was put out today, linking Scott's detention and deportation with attempts by the Federal Police, ASIO and other security agencies to intimidate student activists on University campuses.
Stay tuned to www.sydney.indymedia for more reports on today's Melbourne
action.
Media release:
US Peace activist targeted by ASIO: local activists say "we're next".
Texas based peace activist Scott Parkin, who had his visa revoked on
Saturday 10 September, will be deported today. At 3pm today, Melbourne
activists will stage a protest against Parkin's detention and deportation at
the Australian Federal Police offices, 383 Latrobe Street Melbourne.
Activists are angered that the Government has specifically targeted Scott, a
campaigner against companies profiting from the Iraq war such as ANZ bank
and Halliburton. Scott has not committed any crime and has not been charged
with any offence.
One of Parkin's preferred campaign strategies is political communication
through street theatre. In solidarity with Scott, and to protest his
detention and deportation, Melbourne activists will stage a mock
"mass-deportation", the message being that if Scott – a non-violent activist
who is opposed to the war on Iraq - is detained and deported, all activists
organising for progressive social change are equally targeted by the
government's so-called War on Terror.
Rory Gutterson, a Melbourne activist and friend of Scott Parkin, said,
"Unfortunately for the Federal government, ASIO and the Federal police, we
can see the government's actions for what they are: a lame attempt to
silence dissent.
"In actual fact, police intervention will have no impact whatsoever on the
ability of activists to politically organise. The Government is trying to
stooge the public into believing there is a need to strengthen anti-terror
laws", Mr Gutterson said. On Thursday John Howard announced control orders
and preventative detention measures giving the AFP and ASIO powers to
control people who have not been convicted of any crime.
Since the attacks in New York on September 11, anti-Muslim sentiment has
affected Muslim students around the country who have been directly and
indirectly targeted by police, University administrators and other students.
In recent weeks, the Federal police have focussed unwarranted attention on
student activists simply for organising non-violent protest activities.
Prior to the Forbes 500 protest at the Opera House, police requested
voluntary interviews with students from University of Technology Sydney
(UTS) regarding the organisation of protest activities. All protest
activities at the Forbes conference were specifically non-violent. A student
at the University of Sydney was arrested while handing out flyers for an
anti-VSU rally.
The Monash Student Association (MSA) Queer Department's internet chat site
has been monitored by Federal police who have laid false accusations that
queer activists are planning "violent" protests in relation to the arrest of
a gay rights activist in Bali.
Federal police have also monitored a forum on the war on terror and human
rights at University of Western Sydney Bankstown. University security are
taking a hard line against student activists at Bankstown after Education
Minister Brendan Nelson put pressure on the Vice Chancellor regarding the
war on terror forum.
For comments regarding activist's responses to the deportation of Scott
Parkin, contact:
Rory Gutterson on 0409 561 837