Effective Anti-War Protests Require Focus, Organisation And Safety

The Sydney Walk Against The War Coalition is deeply concerned at the injuries suffered by high school and university students in clashes with the NSW Police at the student anti-war protest of March 26, and at the very negative impact of the violent images on public perceptions of the anti-war movement. This incident has undermined our efforts to mobilise another giant anti-war protest on Palm Sunday April 13, and threatens the unity of the Coalition.

The Sydney Walk Against The War Coalition has helped mobilise Australia's largest ever anti-war movement since it was formed in October 2002, with the largest mobilisation by far on February 16, 2003, and very large mobilisations on November 30, 2002, and March 20 and 23, 2003. All have been well organised, peaceful and therefore effective in sending one clear message to Howard, Bush and Blair - no war on Iraq, bring the troops home. Our task is to expand the movement even more and to focus more and more pressure on the Howard government to withdraw from the 'coalition of the killing'.

The failure of the Bush - Blair - Howard strategy to win a quick, easy victory in Iraq has again changed the political conditions for our campaign, which were initially set back by the launch of the invasion on March 20. The prospect of a longer war with higher casualties, and no welcome for US and British troops as liberators, makes it even more urgent for our movement to stay focused and united in an effective campaign.

Because our movement has been so strong, it has attracted a strong counter-campaign from Howard, Bush and Blair, who are desperate to divide and weaken us. Since the Bush Adminstration launched the invasion of Iraq on March 20, our protests have been more difficult to manage because of efforts to disrupt them by a very small number of people identifying as anarchists. This small group was used by the Asst NSW Police Commissioner Dick Adams to undermine the student anti-war protest of March 26 and create heightened tension at that event.

The Walk Against The War Coalition condemns Asst Commissioner Adams for directing in a media conference on March 25 that students not protest on March 26, and for creating a threatening environment by moblising excessive force for the student protest. The Coalition asserts the fundamental right of students and people of all ages and backgrounds to assemble and to protest peacefully, especially on such a fundamental issue as peace and war. The Coalition strongly encourages students to mobilise against the war, along contemporary Australian lines of peaceful protest, including non-violent civil disobedience.

The Coalition also condemns the hypocricy of the pro-war media commentators who promote the massive violence of war and invasion on the one hand, but on the other hand condemn with outrage the violence that was associated with the efforts of the students to stop the war on March 26.

The violent incidents at Town Hall require further investigation, but it is apparent that police violence against a Muslim girl inflamed the situation, and the Coalition strongly condemns these police for this action, and the subsequent use of excessive force. The Coalition is very concerned that this incident will rebound on the Middle East community in Sydney for months to come, and that it helps to reinforce the racism of the pro-war part of Australian society. We also condemn the ethnic stereotyping used in media reports of this event.

However, the Coalition also condemns the irresponsibility of some sponsor organisations of the Coalition when they manipulated the student protest by calling on students to leave the rally in Hyde Park and to go outside the agreement between organisers and police by proceeding to the Prime Minister's office. The lack of positive cooperation by the Students Against War and Books Not Bombs with the National Union of Students to provide effective marshalls and sound equipment, and to abide by the agreed plan for the protest, led to the injury of students, and the diversion of public attention from the war to 'student violence'. At best, this is a serious failure in the duty of care of those involved for the students they encouraged to participate, and brings serious discredit to them and to our whole movement. At worst, it is a case of cynical manipulation of genuine but inexperienced protesters, and our Coalition totally condemns this aspect.

Further the Coalition is alarmed that organisations involved, the Democratic Socialist Party, Resistance and Books not Bombs, have not accepted any responsibility for what took place on March 26, and instead put all the blame on the NSW Police and insist on going ahead with another similar protest march on April 2, in defiance of the NSW Police if necessary. This action is a grave error, and the Coalition calls on the Democratic Socialist Party, Resistance and Books not Bombs to cancel the proposed April 2 student protest. We call on them to participate in a proper plan for a safe, effective student protest after Palm Sunday. The Coalition calls on the new Police Minister to intervene to defuse this situation.

The Coalition calls on all sponsoring organisations to deepen their local and sectoral work to promote a giant protest against the war on Palm Sunday, April 13, making it larger than March 23.

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