Anti-racism
Together we will occupy
The world is rising up. When we look around the globe we see people in motion. Revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa against brutal dictators, the movements against austerity measures in Europe and Britain, democratic and indigenous revolutions in Latin America, and the Occupy Wall Street protests spreading across the United States. Resistance is in solidarity with all these movements for change.
What these movements have in common is a struggle for a more democratic society and a fight to end corporate control over people's lives. This is a struggle we share in Australia. We’re here for the same reason as everyone else. We’ve had enough — and we think an alternative is possible.
The internet as a battleground
According to Australia’s outgoing discrimination commissioner Graeme Innes, racism is still a big problem in Australian society.
This is nothing new. Racism has been an issue in Australia since the very beginning of white colonisation, when Aboriginal people were forced from their lands to make way for the new colonial Australia.
But racism, like our society, has changed with the times. This throws up new challenges in tackling it.
High school group leads refugee rights protest
The Refugee Advocacy Group (RAG) was recently formed by high school students in Geelong. The group organised a refugee rights protest in the city on August 13. Green Left Weekly’s Ben Peterson spoke to Max Hill, a year 11 student and founder of RAG.
Tell us about RAG and how this all got started
Max Hill: Basically, the group came about after [immigration minister Chris] Bowen planned to sign the "Malaysian solution".
I saw it on the front page of the news and although we didn't have a group together at that point, I made plans to hold a protest in Geelong. I got a group of friends together from school and started organising this rally, and this group became RAG.
Bellotti family fights for justice
Bellotti family fights for justice
The family of Rex Bellotti Junior have called a rally for July 23 in Albany where Bellotti, then 15 years old, was run over by police driving on the wrong side of the road in March 2009.
The family organised the protest to call for a public inquiry into alleged police misconduct and the failure of the state government and the Western Australian police to provide adequate compensation and support for Bellotti and his family. State politicians and legal bodies have left the family to fend for themselves.
It demonstrates that a case involving an Indigenous boy and a police hit-and-run is “too hot to handle” for the Western Australian justice system.
A visit to Villawood detention centre
Resistance organised a visit to Villawood detention centre on July 3. Twenty people came to show solidarity with the asylum seekers inside.
We visited four different sections that house families and single people from many countries including Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Iran and Iraq.
I spoke with a family who live in Villawood with their three young children. The youngest two had never known life outside detention.
