On Friday 26 February, Julian Assange's father John Shipton (pictured), is to embark on his #HomeRun4Julian tour. He will be touring regional Victorian and New South Wales towns on his way to Sydney and Canberra to demand justice for his son, Julian Assange.
The rally will be addressed by John Shipton, amongst others. From there, John Shipton will be embarking on his #HomeRun4Julian tour of regional Victorian and New South Wales towns on his way to Sydney and Canberra to demand justice for his son, Julian Assange.
Indigenous activists and 3CR Radical Radio show hosts Robbie Thorpe and Viv Malo will open the send off with Jacob Grech as MC. Introducing John Shipton, father of Julian Assange and Jerome Small, long time Human Rights Campaigner and supporter of WikiLeaks and Assange.
At 6:30pm Following the send-off of John Shipton, there will be the regular weekly "Melbourne for Wikileaks" (@melbourne4wiki) Vigil for Julian Assange outside Flinders Street Railway station, also on Swanston street, 1 kilometer south of the State Library.
End the illegal detention and torture of this Australian hero.
Why won't the Australian government act to get Julian Assange out of the Belmarsh hellhole?
By its stated intention to imprison the visionary Australian journalist and publisher, Julian Assange, for 175 years, the United States government has confirmed the criminality and malevolance of those who are truly in charge of it. State officials, including Hillary Clinton, have also been recorded talking openly about assassinating Assange.
Because mainstream media now only reports what the US government tells it, the world needs the Wikileaks news service to reveal the truth behind the United States' and its allies' wars, over the last three decades and beyond. Wikileaks has protected the identities and the ability of people in the military, government spy agencies, government bureacracy, or private corporations, to get vital information out to all of us about repeated dangerous and criminal acts of states towards ordinary people.
The United States' deep state has been trying since 2010 to get its hands on Julian to punish him for revealing its war-crimes to the world, and for refusing to reveal his sources. The US wants firstly to prevent Julian Assange from resuming his own work for Wikileaks, and secondly, to set a precedent that would allow the US henceforth to kidnap any other journalist, whose reporting would reveal to us facts about other invasions of, and meddling in the affairs of countries throughout much of the world - in countries like Venezula, Cuba, Bolivia, Somalia, Afghanistan and Iran - that the US wants to keep hidden from us.
Julian Assange is not even an American. He is an Australian citizen. He has committed no crime - he has only been found guilty of the misdemeanour - skipping bail in 2012 to seek asylum in the London Ecuadorian embassy after the Swedish prosecutors had sought to extradite him for questioning over allegations of sexual assault by two Swedish women.
When the Swedish government refused to give Julian a guarantee that they would not allow the US to extradite him, he decided that the request for questioning could only be a ploy on behalf of the US. So, Julian skipped bail' and sought asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy. For thus acting to thwart US attempts to illegally kidnap him from Swedish soil 8 years ago, UK Judge Vanessa Barraitser sentenced Julian Assange to imprisonment alongside convicted terrorists and murderers in Belmarsh Prison for 50 weeks - the absolute maximum offence for the misdemeanour of skipping bail.
Even after Julian had served that outrageous sentence, Barraitser further extended his detention to allow more time for the US prosecutors to prepare their 'case' for extradition, which, after weeks of further kangaroo court proceedings, was denied to the US, whilst all the prosecution's smears against Julian were still upheld.
In spite of this unexpected ruling, Barraitser refused to release Julian. He is expected to spend many months in degrading conditions behind bars whilst various appeals by the US against her rulng are heard.
What you can do
Attend the Melbourne for Wikileaks (@melbourne4wiki Twitter page) vigil for Julian Assange at Flinders St. Station every Friday at 6:30pm.
Julian Assange’s extradition hearing starts on Monday 24th of this month. To mark the occasion and to help increase awareness in his hometown of Melbourne, Melbourne4WikiLeaks is holding a rally at the State Library of Victoria at 6:30pm on the evening of Friday 21st February.
We feel that it is important to keep pressure on the Australian Government to intervene with both the UK and US in order to stop the extradition and bring Julian home.
Additionally, we are aware from his legal team and his father’s visits that events supporting him in his hometown greatly lift his spirits.
Time is running out for Julian and it is vitally important at this time to step up the campaign.
You can help in a number of ways:
Firstly, you can come to the Rally where we will be joined by speakers including Caitlin Johnstone, Julian Hill and others as well as a live video cross to Julian’s father, John Shipton in London. There will also be music and a special video presentation.
Snap Action Against Minister's North East Link Decision
Join Friends of Banyule for a snap action out the front of Minister Wynne's office today, Friday 5 Dec, 10am, Tenancy 2, Ground Floor, 188-196 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, VIC.
Planning Minister goes against own Planning Panel’s Advice to accept North East Link project as is
Environmental organisation Friends of the Earth and community group Friends of Banyule have expressed their extreme disappointment at today’s announcement that the Planning Minister Richard Wynne has approved the North East Link.
The project has been approved without extending the tunnel northwards, contrary to the Minister’s own Environmental Effects Statement Planning Panel’s advice and pleas of impacted families and community groups.
In the decision, Minister Wynne stated that “the project will produce significant environmental impacts, borne largely by the community of Melbourne’s northeast during a protracted construction period”.
Minister Wynne fails to report the permanent nature of this environmental and social damage and the long-term health impacts for those living along the 29km construction build, which includes 11 kindergartens, 12 schools and 5 aged care facilities.
“The State Labor Government values cars and toll road revenue over and above our children’s health and future. They are also prepared to destroy over 26,000 trees and two locals creeks, pollute the Yarra river and destroy the liveability of our beautiful green suburbs,” Friends of Banyule President Michelle stated.
“It's staggering that over 20 cherished homes in Yallambie will make way of the Tunnel Boring Machine Launch Site. This is additional to 37 homes already being acquired by the project. How many more homes in Watsonia and Greensborough will have to go via “voluntary acquisition” because they will simply be unliveable?”
“We don’t accept this greedy, undemocratic, sham consultation. The Minister has failed to listen to reasonable advice from his own expert Planning Panel and over 870 submissions by the public.”
The Minister admits that the project will produce ‘significant’ environmental impacts and lead to the destruction of valuable public open space. The project will impact as much as 175 hectares of open space during the 7 years construction period, with 18.2 hectares ‘required permanently’.
Friends of the Earth’s Sustainable Cities campaigner Claudia Gallois says “This will further entrench Melbourne’s reliance on cars for travel and have negative impacts on local communities and local business, increase greenhouse gas emissions and lead to the loss of valuable open space.”
“We welcome the state government’s investment in public transport, including the Metro Tunnel and Suburban Rail Link. But choosing a mega road over smart transport options like the Metro 2 tunnel is backwards thinking. Developing the North East Link will lock off development options for both Metro 2 and the long-promised Doncaster Rail Link, both of which are better ways of dealing with congestion on our roads, without destroying open space and damaging air quality”.
“In a rapidly growing city, it is simply not acceptable to be destroying public open space and sporting facilities.” (It's unfortunate that this media release doesn't challenge the idiocy of the Victorian Government encouraging further high immigration to this already overcrowded city (see LiveInMelbourne.vic.gov.au) - Ed.)
“There is no meaningful assessment of the rise of greenhouse gases associated with this project. In a time of climate change, this is unacceptable. It is also at odds with the government’s commitments under the Climate Change Act,” concluded Gallois.
Media Contacts:
Claudia Gallois, Friends of the Earth, 0448 752 656 [email protected]
Michelle Giovas, Friends of Banyule, 0409 179 121, [email protected]
‘Stop the Drop’: Ban Aerial Baiting with 1080 Poison, Treasury Gardens Melbourne (Lawn 4), November 24, 5 -8 pm. Since 2014, Victorian governments have been routinely dropping tonnes of cruel 1080 poison over vast areas of the Victorian natural environment from helicopters. Supposedly to protect farm stock from ‘wild dogs’, it is of virtually no benefit to farmers and nothing to do with ‘wild dogs’. The ‘wild dogs’ being killed are really Dingoes, the native Australian apex predator, a threatened species in Victoria and essential to the stability and health of Victorian ecosystems.
In October 2019, 26 prominent scientists, including some of the most respected, senior environmental scientists in Australia, wrote a joint, open letter to the Victorian Minister for the Environment, calling for the discontinuation of aerial baiting with 1080 poison.
Aerial baiting up for renewal - now is the time to step in to stop it
In December 2019 the Victorian government’s permission from the federal government to aerial bait with 1080 poison will expire. The Andrews Labor government must not seek renewed federal permission to continue this cruel and unnecessary assault upon Dingoes and Victorian ecosystems. This persecution has involved the deliberate mis-characterisation of Dingoes as ‘wild dogs’ by government bureaucrats, farm lobby extremists and the poison industry, thereby avoiding public scrutiny and potentially misleading government ministers.
SPEAKERS: Evan Quartermain Humane Society International, John Marsh Potoroo Palace New South Wales, Rohana Hayes Wolves Theatre
MUSICIANS: The Wild Orchids Chris Scheri Flautist and Robyn Youlten Guitarist
ART FOR EARTH: Candle Art installation by JORGE PUJOL “SAVE OUR DINGOES”
Sponsors: Bushland Dingo Haven Inc., Ron Holden; Anonymous; Jihrrahlinga Conservation Centre; Sime Validzic; Ernest & Robyn Healy, Marilyn Nuske
Shout Out for Peace and Climate Action - UN International Day of Peace
No Australian Support for U.S. wars
For an Independent and Peaceful Foreign Policy
Speakers on War and Climate; Iran; US bases and Independent foreign policy; West Papuan Independence; Human Rights in the Philippines; military spending, and more.
The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris examine the reasons behind Ecuador's Foreign Minister stating that they have no plans of revoking Julian Assange's asylum status.
After news broke that Ecuador was planing on expelling Assange from their London Embassy, people gathered in the streets of London, and online voices blasted Ecuador's decision to deliver Assange to UK authorities, with eventual extradition to the United States.
The Ecuadorian government was compelled to quickly release a statement refuting the news of Assange's expulsion.
Comment by James Sinnamon: In this otherwise insightful and informative discussion of 8:53 minutes, I think Alex Christoforou and Alexander Mercouris are far too kind to the UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn has had six and a half years to act to force the UK government end its illegal detention of Julian Assange. Corbyn, who purportedly supports Julian Assange, could have easily led many thousands of Labour Party supporters to protest at the Ecuadorian Embassy in support of Julian Assange. Such a crowd could easily have escorted Assange to Heathrow Airport and onto a flight back to Australia. Certainly, had he spoken more loudly in support of Julian Assange in all of these years, it would have been politically impossible for Theresa May to have persisted with her government's criminal and secretive collusion with the United States against Julian Assange.
Video: French demonstrate outside the Australian embassy in Paris, calling for the cowardly unprincipled Australian Government to help Julian Assange. "Where are the 'We are all Charlie' freedom of the press demonstrators?" they cry.
Translation of video
Whilst during the day demonstrators stood outside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to support the whistleblower, another demonstration started an hour ago in Paris outside the Australian Embassy. Listen to what people are saying:
[MALE INTERVIEWEE] "Well, its quite a delicate situation. It's been seven years. It's inexcusable. It's incomprehensible. Knowing the United States claims to be a country of western liberties, it is very odd that he [Julian Assange] is prevented in this way from returning to his country.
We have to keep up this kind of demonstration, thinking of Julian Assange and all the journalists , freedom of the press, freedom of expression, freedom to exchange information, the right to transparency. So, regular demonstrations to remind us of what Julian Assange is going through."
[FEMALE INTERVIEWEE] "The dangers are immense. The danger of being expelled [from the Ecuadorian embassy], from one day to the next, one hour to the next. Therefore, it is very very important for us to join in protest now.
Candobetter Ed: Indeed, shame on our government in Australia. Shame on Britain, where if nothing else, Jeremy Corbyn could lead a rescue party, but he's just another sell-out. As for America, run by a corrupt elite that rejoices in war, it should never be allowed to get its hands on Assange. Note that this video was published by RT France.
Translation to English of some comments in French below the video:
(A troll's comments were left out.)
Véronique G, 10 hours ago: "Shame on Australia for abandonning him. Shame on all the other countries which do nothing as well, and shame, above all, on the United States. Best wishes to this Australian journalist. I hope with all my heart that he will soon be FREE."
Honte à l Australie qui l a laissé tomber....Honte à tous les autres pays qui ne font rien non plus....et honte surtout aux States ....bon courage à ce journaliste australien , j espère de tout coeur que bientôt il sera LIBRE.
Marc Dodane, 11 hours ago: "This man should be freed and protected."
Cet homme devrait être libre et protégé.
mooban1000, 10 hours ago: "We must do everything to help against all the political lobbies ... an extraordinary person ..."
Il faut tout faire pour l’aider contre tous les lobbies politiques... une extraordinaire personne...
Jean Vasquez, 10 hours ago: "Where have all the "Charlies" gone? The defenders of freedom of expression."
Ou sont passés les " Charlie" ?
Les defenseurs de la liberté d expression.
Jean Vasquez, 10 hours ago: "The United States a country of liberty? WTF!!!
Les etats unis un pays de liberte ? Wtf !!!
h, 1 hour ago: "If these countries were countries of freedom, Assange would already be able to walk around, but these countries are dominated by private interests."
Ci ces pays serait des pays de liberté Assange devrais déjà pouvoir y circuler or ces pays sont soumis à des intérêts privé.
Artaax 33, 7 hours ago: "Where are the so-called Charlies?"
Ils sont où les soit disant charlie ?
minima moralia, 10 hours ago: "What can be done for him? We dare hope that PotUS will free him, the one who revealed Hilary's Pizza Gate, no?"
Que faire pour lui? On ose espérer que le PotUS va le faire libérer, lui qui a révélé le Pizza Gate de Hillary Clinton, non?
Jérémy de Beach: "He's a political prisoner."
c'est un prisonnier politique.
At 1:00pm on Sunday 10 March originally, incorrectly the given date was 10 May - Ed) outside the State Library in Swanston Street Melbourne, supporters of investigative journalism, free speech and human rights will rally to demand that the Australian government act to free journalist Julian Assange from the arbitrary imprisonment he has faced inside the London Ecuadorian embassy since October 2012 when he sought asylum, that is more than 6 years ago.
Assange's living conditions inside the narrow confines of the Ecuadorian Embassy were already poor. They have been deliberately made worse by the new Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno. This is consistent with President Moreno's treatment of the Ecuadorian people to whom he made many promises in the election 19 February 2017, which he subsequently broke.
As described below by John Pilger in his address to the Sydney rally of last Sunday 3 March, Assange's health and even his life are now at risk. So, the need for the Australian government to act to protect one of its citizens is even more urgent.
Assange sought asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy after the Swedish government requested that he be extradited to Sweden to be questioned by police over allegations that he had sexually assaulted two women. The women had initially made the allegations when he visited Sweden in August 2010, but Swedish police, who interviewed Assange closed the case and told him he could leave the country.
However the case was re-opened by a special prosecutor in November 2010. The prosecutor requested that Julian Assange be extradited from England for questioning, but failed to give him any assurance that he would not be extradited to the U.S. Assange then sought asylum in the Ecuadorian emabassy.
At this point, the Australian government could easily have acted to resolve the situation. They could have insisted that the Swedish government give Assange a guarantee against extradition to the U.S. or, failing that, expedite his return to Australia, if necessary, with an escort by members of the Australian Federal Police.
But the Australian government failed to act. In more than 8 years since then, it has either done either nothing or has acted to make Assange's circumstances worse.
Assange was granted asylum by Ecuador on 16 August 2012, but the UK government refused to allow him to leave the UK to go the Ecuador. As he has been threatened with arrest by the UK authorities for "skipping bail" should he step outside the embassy, Assange has been effectively imprisoned inside the embassy and, since February 2017 has faced additional hardships deliberately imposed upon him by the new Ecuadorian government, as described above.
On Sunday 3 March, the Socialist Equality Party, publishers of the World Socialist Web Site organised a rally in Sydney to support Julian Assange. The speech by John Pilger and the embedded video, previously published on their web site, is re-published below:
"Whenever I visit Julian Assange, we meet in a room he knows too well.
There is a bare table and pictures of Ecuador on the walls. There is a bookcase where the books never change. The curtains are always drawn and there is no natural light. The air is still and foetid.
This is Room 101.
Before I enter Room 101, I must surrender my passport and phone. My pockets and possessions are examined. The food I bring is inspected.
The man who guards Room 101 sits in what looks like an old-fashioned telephone box. He watches a screen, watching Julian. There are others unseen, agents of the state, watching and listening.
Cameras are everywhere in Room 101. To avoid them, Julian manoeuvres us both into a corner, side by side, flat up against the wall. This is how we catch up: whispering and writing to each other on a notepad, which he shields from the cameras. Sometimes we laugh.
I have my designated time slot. When that expires, the door in Room 101 bursts open and the guard says, “Time is up!” On New Year’s Eve, I was allowed an extra 30 minutes and the man in the phone box wished me a happy new year, but not Julian.
Of course, Room 101 is the room in George Orwell’s prophetic novel, 1984, where the thought police watched and tormented their prisoners, and worse, until people surrendered their humanity and principles and obeyed Big Brother.
Julian Assange will never obey Big Brother. His resilience and courage are astonishing, even though his physical health struggles to keep up.
Julian is a distinguished Australian who has changed the way many people think about duplicitous governments. For this, he is a political refugee subjected to what the United Nations calls “arbitrary detention.”
The UN says he has the right of free passage to freedom, but this is denied. He has the right to medical treatment without fear of arrest, but this is denied. He has the right to compensation, but this is denied.
As founder and editor of WikiLeaks, his crime has been to make sense of dark times. WikiLeaks has an impeccable record of accuracy and authenticity which no newspaper, no TV channel, no radio station, no BBC, no New York Times, no Washington Post, no Guardian can equal. Indeed, it shames them.
That explains why he is being punished.
For example: Last week, the International Court of Justice ruled that the British Government had no legal powers over the Chagos Islanders, who, in the 1960s and 70s, were expelled in secret from their homeland on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and sent into exile and poverty. Countless children died, many of them from sadness. It was an epic crime few knew about.
For almost 50 years, the British have denied the islanders’ the right to return to their homeland, which they had given to the Americans for a major military base.
In 2009, the British Foreign Office concocted a “marine reserve” around the Chagos archipelago.
This touching concern for the environment was exposed as a fraud when WikiLeaks published a secret cable from the British Government reassuring the Americans that “the former inhabitants would find it difficult, if not impossible, to pursue their claim for resettlement on the islands if the entire Chagos Archipelago were a marine reserve.”
The truth of the conspiracy clearly influenced the momentous decision of the International Court of Justice.
WikiLeaks has also revealed how the United States spies on its allies; how the CIA can watch you through your i-phone; how presidential candidate Hillary Clinton took vast sums of money from Wall Street for secret speeches that reassured the bankers that if she was elected, she would be their friend.
In 2016, WikiLeaks revealed a direct connection between Clinton and organised jihadism in the Middle East: terrorists, in other words. One email disclosed that when Clinton was US Secretary of State, she knew that Saudi Arabia and Qatar were funding Islamic State, yet she accepted huge donations for her foundation from both governments.
She then approved the world’s biggest ever arms sale to her Saudi benefactors: arms that are currently being used against the stricken people of Yemen.
That explains why he is being punished.
WikiLeaks has also published more than 800,000 secret files from Russia, including the Kremlin, telling us more about the machinations of power in that country than the specious hysterics of the “Russia-gate” pantomime in Washington.
This is real journalism—journalism of a kind now considered exotic: the antithesis of Vichy journalism, which speaks for the enemy of the people and takes its sobriquet from the Vichy government that occupied France on behalf of the Nazis.
Vichy journalism is censorship by omission, such as the untold scandal of the collusion between Australian governments and the United States to deny Julian Assange his rights as an Australian citizen and to silence him.
In 2010, Prime Minister Julia Gillard went as far as ordering the Australian Federal Police to investigate and hopefully prosecute Assange and WikiLeaks—until she was informed by the Australian Federal Police that no crime had been committed.
Last weekend, the Sydney Morning Herald published a lavish supplement promoting a celebration of “Me Too” at the Sydney Opera House on 10 March. Among the leading participants is the recently retired Minister of Foreign Affairs, Julie Bishop.
Bishop has been on show in the local media lately, lauded as a loss to politics: an “icon,” someone called her, to be admired.
The elevation to celebrity feminism of one so politically primitive as Bishop tells us how much so-called identity politics have subverted an essential, objective truth: that what matters, above all, is not your gender but the class you serve.
Before she entered politics, Julie Bishop was a lawyer who served the notorious asbestos miner James Hardie, which fought claims by men and their families dying horribly with asbestosis.
Lawyer Peter Gordon recalls Bishop “rhetorically asking the court why workers should be entitled to jump court queues just because they were dying.”
Bishop says she “acted on instructions ... professionally and ethically.”
Perhaps she was merely “acting on instructions” when she flew to London and Washington last year with her ministerial chief of staff, who had indicated that the Australian Foreign Minister would raise Julian’s case and hopefully begin the diplomatic process of bringing him home.
Julian’s father had written a moving letter to the then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, asking the government to intervene diplomatically to free his son. He told Turnbull that he was worried Julian might not leave the embassy alive.
Julie Bishop had every opportunity in the UK and the US to present a diplomatic solution that would bring Julian home. But this required the courage of one proud to represent a sovereign, independent state, not a vassal.
Instead, she made no attempt to contradict the British Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, when he said outrageously that Julian “faced serious charges.” What charges? There were no charges.
Australia’s Foreign Minister abandoned her duty to speak up for an Australian citizen, prosecuted with nothing, charged with nothing, guilty of nothing.
Will those feminists who fawn over this false icon at the Opera House next Sunday be reminded of her role in colluding with foreign forces to punish an Australian journalist, one whose work has revealed that rapacious militarism has smashed the lives of millions of ordinary women in many countries: in Iraq alone, the US-led invasion of that country, in which Australia participated, left 700,000 widows.
So what can be done? An Australian government that was prepared to act in response to a public campaign to rescue the refugee football player, Hakeem al-Araibi, from torture and persecution in Bahrain, is capable of bringing Julian Assange home.
The refusal by the Department of Foreign Affairs in Canberra to honour the United Nations’ declaration that Julian is the victim of “arbitrary detention” and has a fundamental right to his freedom, is a shameful breach of the letter and spirit of international law.
Why has the Australian government made no serious attempt to free Assange? Why did Julie Bishop bow to the wishes of two foreign powers?
Why is this democracy traduced by its servile relationships, and integrated with lawless foreign power?
The persecution of Julian Assange is the conquest of us all: of our independence, our self-respect, our intellect, our compassion, our politics, our culture.
So stop scrolling. Organise. Occupy. Insist. Persist. Make a noise. Take direct action. Be brave and stay brave. Defy the thought police.
War is not peace, freedom is not slavery, ignorance is not strength. If Julian can stand up to Big Brother, so can you: so can all of us."
Below is a list of only some signatures from international organisations and individuals endorsing the campaign No War on Venezuela. Full list on web page. Action plan for Melbourne organised by the Australian-Venezuelan Solidarity coalition on Saturday 23 February, 11am at Trades Hall.
40+ Cities Plan Activities During #23Feb Weekend of International Actions
Send in your action plans or use our guide to plan an event in your area
*Please share widely across lists, networks, and on social media*
If you’re in a city where nothing has been planned yet, but you still want to show solidarity - don’t worry! We can help.
Every action held during the weekend of February 23 - no matter the size or scale - will have an impact.
Consider a smaller-scale action to raise awareness:
Link up with a few like-minded allies to print our fact sheets on Venezuela and pass them out in public places, such as a mall or public transit station
Consider a banner-drop, a picket, or holding signs and distributing fact sheets near a busy intersection or overpass. Get slogans or pre-made placards from our resource page
Wear red with your friends and take a photo while holding pro-Venezuela messages and tag them on social media as #HandsOffVenezuela or #23feb
Picket your local gas station with messages that convey: NOT ANOTHER WAR FOR OIL!
Screen Venezuela: La lucha sigue, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, or other films that tell the truth about the Bolivarian Revolution at a public space or in your home. Invite like-minded activists to link up and begin to plan the next day of action in support of Venezuela.
Whatever activity you organize, make sure to post pictures to social media with #HandsOffVenezuela and #23feb, and send them in to [email protected]
You can also use our Facebook page to link up with like-minded allies, post a message on Twitter and tag our account, or send an email to our international organizers. We will be glad to assist you in planning an action in your area and connecting with others in your area.
International Actions On the Weekend of February 23
*Actions listed alphabetically by city*
Albany, NY Hands off Venezuela! Saturday, February 23 | Noon Wolf Rd and Central Ave Contact: 518-281-1968
Atlanta, GA Monday, Feb. 18, 6-8pm: Special WRFG 89.3FM program :US Hands off Venezuela! Local and national anti-war and social justice activists provide facts and analysis exposing the 20 year campaign by the US to overturn the Bolivarian Revolution with its radical program to end poverty and empower the mass of people. Also streamed at wrfg.org and on mobile apps.
Wednesday, Feb. 20, 4-5pm: Join Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition’s weekly vigil at Moreland and Ponce de Leon to oppose all US actions to bring about a coup against the elected president, Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela..
Friday, Feb. 22, noon-1pm: Colony Square Peace vigil at Peachtree and 15th St. No War on Venezuela!
Saturday, Feb. 23, 1-3:30pm: Stand with Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution! Town Hall Meeting, The Arts Exchange, 2148 Newnan St., East Point 30344. Videos, speakers, discussion. For more information, [email protected] or [email protected]
Saturday, Feb. 23, 5-7pm: Tune in to WRFG’s “Beyond Borders program for reports of No War on Venezuela actions around the US and the world. 89.3FM, wrfg.org
Boston, MA No War on Venezuela! Saturday, February 23 | 1pm Gather at MBTA Park Street Stop
Brainerd, MN No War on Venezuela! Saturday, February 16 | 1pm Sixth and Washington Streets (near Sawmill Inn) Organized by: Brainerd Area Coalition for Peace
Chicago, IL No War No Coup Against Venezuela Friday, February 22 | 4:30pm ABC News Studio | 190 N State Sponsored by Evanston Neighbors for Peace, Chicago ALBA Solidarity, Chicago Area Peace Action, Chicago Committee Against War and Racism, Vets for Peace- Chicago, others
Corvallis, OR No War On Venezuela! Saturday, February 23 | 5pm Benton County Courthouse, 120 NW 4th Street Organized by: Corvallis Latin America Solidarity Committee and the Corvallis chapter of the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism
Dublin, Ireland Venezuela Global Day of Action Saturday, February 23 | 1pm U.S. Embassy | Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 Organized by: Venezuela Ireland Network, Peace and Neutrality Alliance (PANA)
Dhaka, Bangladesh USA Hands off Venezuela Saturday, February 23 | Details TBA Organized by: Socialist Party of Bangladesh
East Setauket, Long Island, NY Hands off Venezuela! Saturday, February 23 | 11am Rt. 25A and Bennetts Rd., East Setauket, Long Island, NY 11733 Solidarity action to take place during the regular anti-war Saturday vigil organized by the North Country Peace Group at the corner of Rt. 25A & Bennetts Road, E. Setauket, NY (south side of street). Vigil will take place 11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Bring signs. Please avoid parking in CVS lot and use other nearby parking on Rt. 25A and across the street on North Country Road. Organized by: North Country Peace Group, contact: [email protected]
Fayetteville, NC No War on Venezuela! March on Ft. Bragg Saturday, February 23 | 2 - 5pm Join anti-imperialist and progressive forces at Fort Bragg, the largest military base in the world, to demand Hands off Venezuela!
Glasgow, Scotland No War on Venezuela! International Day of Action, Glasgow Saturday, February 23 | 1pm Glasgow Royal Concert Hall | Sauciehall Street Glasgow G2 3NY Scotland Hosted by Revolutionary Communist Group – Glasgow, Fight Racism!Fight Imperialism!, Hands off Venezuela, and Glasgow Marxists
Hartford, CT No War on Venezuela! Saturday, February 23 | 12pm Federal Building | Main St Organized by: CT Peace and Solidarity Coalition
Houston, TX No War on Venezuela! Saturday, February 23 | 2pm Mecom Fountain Traffic Circle (Main St and Montrose)
Indianapolis, IN No war on Venezuela! Saturday, February 23 | 4pm Indiana State Capitol | 200 W Washington St
Jersey City, NJ No war on Venezuela! Saturday, February 23 | 11am – 2pm Manhattan Ave. & Central Ave. (across from the Stop&Shop supermarket) Organizations currently sponsoring: NJ Action 21, Jersey City Peace Movement, Veterans For Peace
Kolkata, India US Imperialism Hands Off Venezuela Saturday, February 23 | Details TBA Organized by: Socialist Unity Center of India (C)
Liverpool, England Hands off Venezuela! Saturday, February 23 | 12pm Derby Square | Liverpool L2, 9 England Co-hosted by Revolutionary Communist Group – Liverpool Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism!, Hands Off Venezuela, and Liverpool Marxist Society
Join the South Florida anti-war community as we demand: No U.S War on Venezuela! Stop the Coup! End the Sanctions! Self Determination for the Venezuelan people!
In South Florida, we have a particular obligation to stand against US interference in Venezuela. Miami is home to US Southern Command in Doral, FL– the base for all US military operations in Latin America, particularly Venezuela at the moment. US SOUTHCOM is a nefarious entity whose track-record includes toppling governments throughout Central and South America and the Caribbean, propping up right-wing governments and dictators, arming death-squads throughout the hemisphere, and committing troops to countries within the region.
U.S. Hands off Venezuela No coup No sanctions No new U.S. war!
1:00 pm – Gather at Hennepin & Lagoon Aves, Minneapolis Be part of a visible anti-war presence, say no to U.S. intervention
1:30 pm – Anti-war visibility at nearby busy corners
2:00 pm Closing rally
Initiated by Minnesota Peace Action Coalition Contact: [email protected] | 612 827-5364 or 612 275-2720 or find on Facebook
Monterey, CA Saturday, February 23 | 4 – 6pm Window on the Bay | Across from El Estero Park Raise Awareness on the Situation in Venezuela and Join Veterans For Peace Chapter 46 on February 23 Contact: Justin Loza, VFP 46 President | [email protected]
Moscow, Russia No War on Venezuela! Details TBA
Newcastle Upon Tyne, England Hands off Venezuela! No Sanctions! No Coup! Saturday, February 23 | 12pm Grey’s Monument | Newcastle upon Tyne, England Hosted by Revolutionary Communist Group – Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! North East, Hands Off Venezuela, and Newcastle Marxist Society
New Haven, CT No War on Venezuela! Saturday, February 23 | Details TBA On the Green Organized by: CT Peace and Solidarity Coalition
New Orleans, LA Hands off Venezuela Forum Sunday, February 24 | 5pm Cafe Istanbul NOLA | 2372 St. Claude Ave Organized by: New Orleans Workers Group
Newark, NJ No War on Venezuela! Details TBA For more info: 973-801-0001
Oakland, CA No war on Venezuela! Saturday, February 23 | 12pm Oscar Grant Plaza | 14th and Broadway Sponsored by: Spring Action Antiwar Coalition (Bay Area)
Ottawa, Canada No war on Venezuela! Saturday, February 23 | 12pm Gather at the Prime Minister’s office for a march to the U.S. Embassy!
Philadelphia, PA No war on Venezuela! Saturday, February 23 | 11am Additional Details TBA
Portland, OR Saturday, February 23 | 3pm Sunnyside Community Center | 3520 SE Yamhill St
Racine, WI No war on Venezuela – Presentation on the history of US intervention in Latin America, and on Venezuela from 1998 to the present Saturday, February 23 | 11am John Bryant Community Center | 601 Racine St
No War on Venezuela! Saturday, March 16 | 11am – 1pm Monument Square
Rome, Italy Saturday, February 23 | Details TBA Organized by: Fronte Popolare, La Città Futura, Collettivo Militant, Casa del Popolo Giuseppe Tanas (Roma), Patria Socialista, PCI, Italia-Venezuela Bolivariana
Santa Clara, CA Hands Off Venezuela! No Coup In Venezuela! Venezuelan Oil For Venezuela! US Out of Venezuela! Maduro Democratically Elected! Saturday, February 23 | 12pm Gather at The Peace Corner | Stevens Creek Blvd and Winchester Blvd
Toronto, Canada No to U.S.-Led Intervention: A Community Forum Wednesday, February 20 | 6:30pm University of Toronto | 252 Bloor Street West An Emergency Community Forum: Join us for a public forum with representatives from the Caribbean, African and Latin American community organizations, discussing the deeply inconsistent, hypocritical and dangerous ways the Canadian government has historically approached matters of humanitarian intervention – and why this matters today when it comes to Venezuela.
Sponsoring groups: Global Afrikan Congress, Group for Research & Initiative for the Liberation of Africa (GRILA), Common Frontiers, Caribbean Solidarity Network, Students Against Israeli Apartheid, Latin American and Caribbean Solidarity Network – LACSN, Hugo Chavez Front, Justice 4 Migrant Workers, Jamhoor, Venezuela Solidarity Committee
Tucson, AZ Saturday, February 23 | 10a - 2p Armory Park, during the Peace Fair Organized by:Tucson Anti-War Committee
Turin, Italy Saturday, February 23 | Details TBA Organized by: Fronte Popolare, Rete dei Comunisti and Potere al Popolo
Valleta, Malta Saturday, February 23 | 4pm 28 Strait Street Organized by: ALBA MNAC and PKM
Vancouver, BC, Canada Saturday February 23 | 2pm
No War on Venezuela! – International Day of Action Vancouver, Canada Rally & Petition Campaign
No Coup in Venezuela! U.S./Canada Hands Off Venezuela! No more U.S./Canada Sanctions & Threats!
Vancouver Art Gallery Robson St. at Howe St. Downtown Vancouver
Organized by: Fire This Time Movement for Social Justice (FTT) – Venezuela Solidarity Campaign
Endorsed by: Mobilization Against War and Occupation (MAWO), Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba (VCSC), Iranian Community Against War
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel's stubborn endorsement of the UN Global Migration Pact has brought his government to its knees and caused massive demonstrations against the Pact in Belgium. Charles Michel now governs with a minority, because the center-right Flemish N-VA has walked out over the PM's move to have Belgium support a UN migration pact. The Prime Minister is now trying to govern with assorted and reshuffled Liberals and Christian Democrats. The upcoming Migration Pact has divided international alliances: Austria, Hungary, the US, Israel, Australia and several other states rejecting the accord. [1]Belgium's migration minister, Theo Francken, commented on Thursday, "It's way too pro-migration. It doesn't have the nuance that it needs to have to also comfort European citizens." He said that, although it was not legally binding, it was also not without legal risks. He said that wide interpretation of human rights laws in EU courts were "tying the hands of migration policy-makers." [2]
The Belgian government has split apart after Prime Minister Charles Michel ignored the objections of his ruling coalition’s biggest party and insisted he would sign the UN migration pact.
The Flemish nationalist New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) party quit the government following crisis talks over the weekend, prompting Michel to announce he would travel to Marrakesh to sign the controversial compact representing a minority government.
Stepping down as interior minister on Sunday, the N-VA’s Jan Jambon told local media “I think that, formally speaking, we are stepping down. We said that if the coalition goes to Marrakesh, it will be without us.”
The patriotic party had previously produced a list of 30 objections to signing the so-called Global Compact on Safe and Orderly Migration including a lack of differentiation between illegal and legal flows, and questions over whether the agreement, which declares mass immigration to be “inevitable, desirable and necessary”, could have a chilling effect on objective journalism.
Vice Prime Minister Alexander De Croo rebuffed the N-VA for branding the parties set to sign Belgium up to the UN document as a ‘Marrakesh coalition’, asserting that ministers will continue to have “firm but humane” migration policies because “no one in this government wants to pursue open [borders]”. [3]
Le Pen, Bannon speak against UN Global Compact in Brussels
On 8 December Marine Le Pen (National Rally Party) and former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon participated in a meeting against the UN Global Compact for Migration in Brussels on Saturday. "There is no leader of any political movement in Europe, the United States or Latin America that doesn't agree. We are talking about a great human tragedy in Sub-Saharan Africa, in Central America," Bannon stated. Le Pen urged French President Emmanuel Macron not to sign the compact, saying "the French president's immigrationism is so irrepressible that he forgets his constitutional duties." The non-legally binding Global Compact for Migration which covers international migration in all aspects was concluded in July and is expected to be adopted by UN member states in December. [4]
The Free Julian Assange protest outside the British Consulate at 90 Collins Street Melbourne started on time and was well attended. Julian Assange's father was there and thanked people for coming. We have to give credit to the organisers - the Socialist Equity Party (SEP). It seems that no-one else in Melbourne has been able to draw people together to protest about Julian Assange's persecution, although it is obvious that many people do care. A problem may be that people believe they need permission to hold meetings and rallies, but this is rarely the case. There were several speakers and we did not film all of them. The films uploaded here were filmed on a hand-held digital camcorder, more for the record than for art. We also filmed the surroundings and participants to give viewers an idea of the scene in Australia. Another protest was to be held tonight (19 June 2018) at the State Library, where the film, Collateral Murder, would be shown. We have embedded a copy of this chilling record of a night of murder for fun by US armed forces in Iraq, which is a document that Julian Assange published, and for which he has been pursued with murderous resentment by the United States ever since.
The Collateral Murder video (April 2010) (embedded below) was shown at a Free Assange Vigil from 6-8pm at Melbourne State Library on 19 June 2018.
The video below records James Cogan, National Secretary of the Social Equality Party's speech about Assange's predicament and the record so far of Australian prime ministers, among other things.
Towards 2000 people rallied on the morning of June 9, 2018 at 11.00 a.m to protest against live animal exports. The rally, organised by The Animal Justice Party and Animals Australia, attracted a very united crowd of men women and children horrified by the inevitable and intense pain and suffering inflicted on the hapless cargo of these ships no matter where they are headed.
My feeling was that this industry represents a standard of treatment of other creatures that is so low that even though they are not physically hurt by it themselves , people will just not put up with it.
If it were not for the "whistle blowers" recording the awful suffering of sheep and cattle on the ships and at their destination we would be unaware. They have brought it into our living rooms where it cannot be ignored or denied.
Another person who attended this protest summed it up as "Live Export is like mass immigration - it is another thing that Australians do not want, but which is foisted upon us by our governments."
Apologies: This article previously erroneously stated or implied that all rallies were to occur on the same day. In fact, on Sunday 17 June there will be one rally in Sydney, whilst on Tuesday 19 June, there will be other rallies in Melbourne Brisbane, Perth and, hopefully elsewhere.
In the coming weeks, including on 19 June, rallies have be organised for Julian Assange have been organised across Australia and across the world.
Demand that the Australian government act to abide by its duty of care to any Australian citizen and send to London a contingent of Federal Police to escort Julian Assange back to Australia.
Upcoming Rallies and protests in Australia
Sydney
Sunday, June 17th 1-3 PM, Socialist Equality Party Rally, Sydney Town Hall Square : Speakers include John Pilger and James Cogan SEP National Secretary. Endorsed by Julian Burnside QC and Terry Hicks (Father of David Hicks), Chris Hedges (Pullitzer Prizing winner Journalist), Professor Stuart Rees Facebook event and website
Tuesday June 19th 9AM – 1PM British Consulate Gateway Building, 1 Macquarie Place, Sydney
Melbourne
Vigil outside British Consulate, – Tuesday 19th .: Vigil will be attended by Julian's father, John Shipton and other young member of Julian's family will be in attendance. Julian is totally isolated from his friends and family whilst trapped in the Ecuadorean Embassy.
Speakers include :
Shirley Shackleton:whose journalist husband Greg was murdered by Indonesian force in Balibo on the eve of the Indonesian invasion of East Timor. Shirley fought for decades for the East Timorese and against the Australian government's cover up of her (and four other journalists).
James Cogan: National Secretary of the Socialist Equality Party (SEP):The Socialist Equality are playing a leading role in the campaign to defend Julian Assange and fight internet censorship. They have also called protests in Sydney, Tamil Nadu and Columbo and are publishing many articles on the campaign on the World Socialist Website.
Class-conscious website and Facebook event
Solidarity Light Vigil, Melbourne CBD – Tuesday 19th 6-8 PM Bring candles and loved ones to show support. Disarm Facebook Event
Brisbane
Vigil 4-6PM – June 19th, Ann Street Shrine of Remembrance, Ann Street, Brisbane City Centre (opposite Central Station) Facebook event
Perth
June 19th 12PM-2PM Forrest Chase : Facebook Event Page
Other Cities
If you are planning to host or know of any other cities who wish to participate in the June 19th actions for Julian, they are being coordinated through the Free Julian Assange at U.K and U.S. Embassies Worldwide Facebook page or send a message direct to the Class-conscious website via our Contact page. Like wise if you have additional details of speakers etc about already listed events, please pass that on too.
At 1:00pm on Sunday 17 June, there will be a demonstration at the Town Hall Square in Sydney to demand freedom for the heroic and visionary Australian journalist, Julian Assange. Julian Assange has been illegally imprisoned [1] in the London Ecuadorian Embassy for almost six years now The alternative to his ongoing imprisonment is extradition to the United States, show trial, and long imprisonment, should he be made to leave the embassy. Should Assange remain, he faces grave threats to his health due to a lack of exercise within the embassy walls and lack of direct sunlight, so far, for six years.
The demonstration has been called by the Socialist Equity Party (SEP). The excerpt below, from the SEP's article advertising the protest, explains Julian Assange's plight:
Assange's situation stems directly from the Australian government's refusal to protect one of its citizens from persecution by other governments. Canberra has instead trampled on Assange's rights in the most reprehensible manner.
The American state accuses WikiLeaks and its personnel of "espionage" for publishing leaked data in 2010 that exposed the extent of its war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan and its sinister intrigues around the world. Last year, WikiLeaks published further material that exposed CIA operations to hack and spy on Internet and other communications.
If Assange were put on a show trial in the US, he could face decades of imprisonment, or even the death penalty (my emphasis), for doing what a journalist should do: provide the world with the truth.
In late 2010, the Australian Labor government of Prime Minister Julia Gillard took no action when a Swedish prosecutor initiated a politically-motivated investigation into allegations that Assange “may” have been involved in sexual assault. Under conditions of a furious campaign against WikiLeaks for the damning information it was publishing about US war crimes, the aim of the slander was to both discredit Assange and justify a warrant for his extradition to Sweden for “questioning.” If he were detained in Sweden, Assange and his lawyers rightly feared he could have faced rendition on to the US.
Instead of defending Assange, Gillard and her Labor ministers denounced WikiLeaks for "illegal" actions and declared they would assist the US to prosecute him.
Denied any protection by Australia, Assange was forced to seek political asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London on June 19, 2012, after a British court rejected his last legal appeal against extradition to Sweden. For six years, he has been effectively imprisoned in the embassy by the insistence of the British government that if he leaves the building it will arrest him on a charge of absconding on bail. The British government, moreover, has refused to give any guarantee that it would not facilitate his extradition to the US (my emphasis).
This was despite the finding of a United Nations working group in February 2016 that Assange had been arbitrarily detained in contravention of his human rights, and should be allowed his freedom.
In May 2017, Swedish authorities, after finally agreeing to question Assange in Britain, dropped their investigation. No charges were ever laid against the WikiLeaks editor.
The Australian government of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, however, refused to intervene and demand that Britain drop its pursuit of Assange over bail-related issues and allow him to leave the London embassy.
...
After six years of confinement inside a small building, with no direct sunlight and deprived of necessary medical treatment, Assange's health was already severely compromised before the immense pressure of almost total isolation was inflicted on him. Reports indicate that Assange is being pressured by Ecuador to leave the embassy, or that the Ecuadorian government may even renege on its grant of asylum and hand him over to waiting British police.
Under conditions in which the British government will not relent on its determination to charge Assange, or guarantee he will not be extradited to the US, the full culpability of the Australian government and the broader political and media establishment is evident.
The Australian state has undeniable means at its disposal to extricate an Australian citizen and journalist from persecution. It can act to return him to Australian territory and provide him with an unconditional guarantee that he will not be extradited.
There are obvious recent precedents.
Australian journalist Peter Greste was arrested by Egyptian authorities in December 2013, along with other Al Jazeera employees, on framed-up charges of “damaging national security.” He was subjected to a show trial and sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment.
In response to immense public outrage in Australia, the government, backed by Washington and the United Nations, called for Greste’s release. Intense diplomatic pressure was applied on Egypt. On February 1, 2015, Greste was released and deported back to Australia.
Earlier, in 2007, under the pressure of widespread anger over the imprisonment of Australian citizen David Hicks in the US concentration camp at Guantanamo Bay, the government entreated the Bush administration to release him.
If the British government continues to insist on railroading an Australian citizen into an American prison or worse, then there are a wide range of actions that the Australian government can take to secure his return to Australian jurisdiction.
It would only do so, however, under conditions of the greatest pressure produced by the mobilisation of the working class. Under both Labor and the Liberal-National Coalition governments, the Australian state has demonstrated its hostility to Assange and WikiLeaks.
Author's comment
The article cited above is spot on when it says:
The Australian state has undeniable means at its disposal to extricate an Australian citizen and journalist from persecution. It can act to return him to Australian territory and provide him with an unconditional guarantee that he will not be extradited.
Had the Australian government carried out its basic duty of care as suggested in the above quote and as it had towards Peter Greste, also cited in the article, this whole shameful episode could have been ended years ago.
Every Australian voter, who shares our concerns about Julian Assange, should ask of his local member of Parliament, what he/she has done to help Julian Assange during his last six years of imprisinment. He/she should also ask of every candidate, seeking his/her vote in the next federal election, how he/she intends to help Julian Assange once elected.
Rallies for Julian Assange are also to be held on 19 June in India andSri Lanka.
The Socialist Equity Party must be applauded for publicising Julian Assange on the pages of the World Socialist Web Site and for taking the intiative to organise this rally in Sydney. However, I am sure that a good many others in other parts of Australia - Brisbane, Townsville, where Julian Assange was born, Melbourne, where he spent more than 15 years of his life before leaving Australia, Canberra, etc. - would also like to show their support.
Unless another rally is officially called in the meantime, those, in Melbourne, who want to show their support for Julian Assange could, perhaps, at 1pm on Sunday 17 June, the same time as the Sydney rally, assemble, with placards and leafleats, on the steps of the Victorian State Library as supporters of Syria did on Monday 30 April.
In the video embedded above, Bob Beckel, a former presidential strategist calls for the U.S. to "illegally shoot the son-of-a-bitch". Also, in that video, another spokesman for the U.S. government said of Julian Assange "that if we catch you, we're going to hang you."
Footnote[s]
[1] Two rulings by the United Nations have found the detention of Juian Assange in the Ecuadorian Embassy to have been illegal. So, figures in the the Swedish government, the British government, including Prime Minister Theresa May, and others complicit in the detention of Julian Assange since 19 June 2012, almost 12 years ago, have broken international law and should face trial before the International Criminal Court for their actions.
Railway workers, protesting against changes to the French National Railways [Société nationale des chemins de fer - SNCF], forced their way into the Paris offices of Macron's political party, the Republic on the Move (la Republique en Marche (LREM)) on Friday 4th of May in the afternoon. The economic rationalist French government has used the Orwellian term 'reforms' to describe these changes, which roll back hard won twentieth century gains to workers in France, whilst supporting tax reductions for the super rich.
A Republic on the Move employee told franceinfo that about 100 railway workers broke into Emmanuel Macron's political party offices. "They broke the door and stayed half an hour in the courtyard before being removed by the police." They chanted their slogan, 'We are angry railway workers and we won't let you push us around."
A political party spokesperson said that the party valued to the right to demonstrate, but would not support any form of violence and intended to make a formal complaint.
"This is a symbolic act," explained Fabien Villedieur, a delegate of South-Rail (Sud-Rail) to franceinfo . Since the government has "refused to talk with us, refused to negotiate, we have gone to the seat of Emmanuel Macron's party." According to him, there were "400 activists from South and from the General Confederation of Labour." [Confédération Générale du Travail - CGT.] Their banner carried the slogan, "We won't let you break the French National Railway."
The union member admitted that the door of the offices of the Republic on the Move party had been broken. After that lightening action, the railway workers went on foot to the Opera Place in Paris for a brief meeting before dispersing.
The offices of the Republic on the Move opened at 63 re Sainte Anne, in the heart of Paris, in September 2017.
The term, "Republic on the Move" has been compared to the Soros financed American organisation called "moveon.org", which is similar to GetUp in Australia. The Party was remarkable in causing the disintegration of all established French political parties, including the French socialist party, with the exception of the Front National. See https://www.spectator.co.uk/2017/02/whos-behind-the-mysterious-rise-of-emmanuel-macron/
Let's avoid World War Three and bring justice, light and humanity to reporting on Syria and stop the lying deeds of US-NATO.
Time: 6:30pm
Place: State Library of Victoria
Date: 30th April 2018
Organisers: Hands Off Syria (Sydney) is coordinating with a group of activists and Syrians to organise a rally in Melbourne.
The sleepy village of Pottsville was initiated with its first ever political protest on Sunday. The protest was organised by Northern Rivers Guardians (NRG) on behalf of the threatened koalas at Black Rocks.
Around 25 colourfully dressed people gathered with placards to march through the main street of town and past the local markets. The protesters carried signs with slogans calling for protection of koalas at Black Rocks for the sake of our children, demanding that a Men’s Shed find a different home other than in the middle of a koala corridor, critical for the survival of coastal koalas, and warning certain councillors that if they didn’t vote for koalas they would lose our vote at the next election.
They chanted ‘No Men’s Shed at Black Rocks oval,’ ‘Lock the Gate, Revegetate’ and ‘Save Black Rocks Koalas’ accompanied by drums, cymbals, tin whistle and accordion. Alice, a hand-crocheted art piece made into a puppet/beanie (now on her 8th protest) was there and a number of stuffed koala toys that adorned people’s bodies.
All of the protesters were over 50 years old coming from a range of professions and included a physician, an author, wildlife carers, a councillor, a book publisher, an artist, a physical education teacher, an electrician, a business studies teacher, a nurse - including retired Black Rocks residents -hardly your typical protesting types. But these people were upset enough about what is unfolding for koalas at Black Rocks to give up part of their Sunday on a beautiful sunny day to speak up. What were they upset about?
Four councillors (Barry Longland, Carolyn Byrne, Warren Polglase and Phil Youngblutt) voted 21st May, 2015 to remove the last protection Black Rocks koalas have i.e. the gate at the entrance to the sports field. There has been a long history of hooning and vandalism at the sports field creating stress for the koalas and then at Christmas last year there was a major fire that (according to ecologist and national koala expert Steve Phillips) may have wiped out 30-60% of their population and destroyed over 200 ha of the Pottsville wetlands. What the koalas need most is more protection, not less.
By removing the gate these four councillors went against the recommendations of Council’s Koala Advisory Committee responsible for developing the Plan of Management to save coastal koalas first by not locking the gate 24/7 (as recommended) and secondly by removing the gate altogether.
These four councillors then voted for council to progress a development application for a temporary Men’s Shed right at the Black Rocks sports field when they already had a permanent location offered to them (Barry Shepphard oval) and are currently in a suitable temporary location at Pottsville primary school.
Some pedestrians commented ‘We can’t understand why council would want a Men’s Shed in such a remote location. Why would they push it when they have already been offered a permanent location? We don’t support it.’
However one of the protesters’ biggest concerns was that of fire – having an industrial-like facility which uses and stores flammable and explosive commodities in the middle of a koala corridor when there has already been a major fire recently. Wouldn’t council want to eliminate the risk of fire, not promote it? The Men’s Shed would be situated a mere 20 metres from the very bushland where koalas live. If there was a fire due to vandals breaking into the Men’s Shed a fire could start and not only wipe out the remaining koalas but force firemen to fight fire on three fronts – not to mention the threat of Black Rocks residents losing their homes to fire.
The Black Rocks koalas belong to one of three source koala populations on the Tweed Coast and if the stressors which are driving them to imminent extinction are not removed, the fate of coastal koalas is doomed.
For all these reasons and more, these people felt the need to take to the streets with their concerns. There was a very supportive response from passing traffic honking their horns and from pedestrians, many of whom were taking videos of the march on their mobile phones.
The highlight of the day was when the designated musician on the main stage at the markets spoke into the microphone complimenting the group protesting on behalf of the koalas. He then honoured them by inviting them to join around the stage while he sang ‘Give Me a Home Among the Gum Trees’ explaining to the crowds that it was Pottsville National Koala Day, a timely day to demonstrate! To view videos of the march go to http://www.tinyurl.com/KoalaProtest
If you are concerned about the survival of coastal koalas please write to those four councillors and come to the next NRG rally Tuesday August 6th from 3pm – 4pm in front of council chambers prior to the council Planning Meeting where council will probably vote for or against a Mens Shed at Black Rocks sports field.
‘Stop the Drop’: Ban Aerial Baiting with 1080 Poison, Treasury Gardens Melbourne (Lawn 4), November 24, 5 -8 pm. Since 2014, Victorian governments have been routinely dropping tonnes of cruel 1080 poison over vast areas of the Victorian natural environment from helicopters. Supposedly to protect farm stock from ‘wild dogs’, it is of virtually no benefit to farmers and nothing to do with ‘wild dogs’. The ‘wild dogs’ being killed are really Dingoes, the native Australian apex predator, a threatened species in Victoria and essential to the stability and health of Victorian ecosystems. 
Video: French demonstrate outside the Australian embassy in Paris, calling for the cowardly unprincipled Australian Government to help Julian Assange. "Where are the 'We are all Charlie' freedom of the press demonstrators?" they cry.
Below is a list of only some signatures from international organisations and individuals endorsing the campaign No War on Venezuela. Full list on web page. Action plan for Melbourne organised by the Australian-Venezuelan Solidarity coalition on Saturday 23 February, 11am at Trades Hall.
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel's stubborn endorsement of the UN Global Migration Pact has brought his government to its knees and caused massive demonstrations against the Pact in Belgium. Charles Michel now governs with a minority, because the center-right Flemish N-VA has walked out over the PM's move to have Belgium support a UN migration pact. The Prime Minister is now trying to govern with assorted and reshuffled Liberals and Christian Democrats. The upcoming Migration Pact has divided international alliances: Austria, Hungary, the US, Israel, Australia and several other states rejecting the accord. [1]Belgium's migration minister, Theo Francken, commented on Thursday, "It's way too pro-migration. It doesn't have the nuance that it needs to have to also comfort European citizens." He said that, although it was not legally binding, it was also not without legal risks. He said that wide interpretation of human rights laws in EU courts were "tying the hands of migration policy-makers." [2]
The Free Julian Assange protest outside the British Consulate at 90 Collins Street Melbourne started on time and was well attended. Julian Assange's father was there and thanked people for coming. We have to give credit to the organisers - the Socialist Equity Party (SEP). It seems that no-one else in Melbourne has been able to draw people together to protest about Julian Assange's persecution, although it is obvious that many people do care. A problem may be that people believe they need permission to hold meetings and rallies, but this is rarely the case. There were several speakers and we did not film all of them. The films uploaded here were filmed on a hand-held digital camcorder, more for the record than for art. We also filmed the surroundings and participants to give viewers an idea of the scene in Australia. Another protest was to be held tonight (19 June 2018) at the State Library, where the film, Collateral Murder, would be shown. We have embedded a copy of this chilling record of a night of murder for fun by US armed forces in Iraq, which is a document that Julian Assange published, and for which he has been pursued with murderous resentment by the United States ever since. 
Towards 2000 people rallied on the morning of June 9, 2018 at 11.00 a.m to protest against live animal exports. The rally, organised by The Animal Justice Party and Animals Australia, attracted a very united crowd of men women and children horrified by the inevitable and intense pain and suffering inflicted on the hapless cargo of these ships no matter where they are headed. 
Railway workers, protesting against changes to the French National Railways [Société nationale des chemins de fer - SNCF], forced their way into the Paris offices of Macron's political party, the Republic on the Move (la Republique en Marche (LREM)) on Friday 4th of May in the afternoon. The economic rationalist French government has used the Orwellian term 'reforms' to describe these changes, which roll back hard won twentieth century gains to workers in France, whilst supporting tax reductions for the super rich. 
Let's avoid World War Three and bring justice, light and humanity to reporting on Syria and stop the lying deeds of US-NATO.
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