http://www.stopwarcoalition.org/news...?shownews=1596



1) 10 years of the race card is 10 years too many

4pm thurs 2 March 70 Phillip St City

Speakers: immigrant women's speakout (who are launching their excellent statement on the anniversary at the rally); Refugee Action Coalition, National Union of Students; Indigenous Social Justice Coalition (plus an open mike)

March to Martin Place to meet Unions NSW rally by 6pm

Bring anti-racist placards, banners, etc.

You would have received the email last week that RAC called this rally and speakout outside John Howard's office this thursday to mark the10 th anniversary of his coming to power on 2 March 1996 .

We set it for4 pm at his CBD office ( 70phillip st) After we called it (and started publicising it), we found out his official fundraising do would be held at the Westin Hotel inside the GPO from6 pm (and then that Unions NSW would be calling an assembly one block up Martin Place to coincide with this).

ALthogh our " 10years of the race card is 10years too many" rally will be overshadowed by the Unions NSW one, the RAC meeting on Monday evening agreed to press ahead. The apparent popularity of Howard and Costello's latest rants against Muslims has also disgusted many others (though obviously not Kim Beazley or Morris Iemma).

Racism has been a central plank of the Howard regime, and we feel that having an organised anti-racist feeder rally into the IR protest can only be beneficial. It's the race card (and Beazley's unwillingness to stand up to it) which has enabled Howard's to slither back from a16 % two-party deficit following the mass November 15th rallies. Unless racism is challenged and civil liberties defended, Howard will keep playing the card that has served him so well…

So, if you can make4 pm, please come down to Phillip St...and then join the mass action in Martin place at 6pm.


2) DEMONSTRATE AGAINST A DECADE OF HOWARD

John Howard will be attending a $10,000-a-head Liberal Party fundraiser in Sydney this Thursday evening to coincide with his10 th anniversary as PM. To mark the occasion, and to remind the PM and his backers about the devastation, divisiveness and intolerance the Howard Government is causing in Australian society, Unions NSW is holding a rally:

6pm THURSDAY MARCH 2 @ MARTIN PLACE, SYDNEY, between Pitt & Castlereagh Sts.

Info: 376 078 0422 or713 275 0417

Here are some of the highlights (not&#33 from John Howard's 10 years in office:
• Native Title – emasculated
• Stolen Generations – not validated, not compensated
• Hansonism – condoned
• Tampa Case – sordid lies
• Pacific Solution – threat overblown
• Truth – thrown overboard
• Asylum Seekers – demonised
• Locking Children in Detention: – 'Australian Values' idolised?
• Freedom of Speech – compromised
• Racist Flag-wavers – not chastised
• Muslim Commmunity – vilified
• WMD's – he bloody lied!