All together against Hansen
June 12 saw Australia's largest demonstration yet against racist deputy Pauline
Hanson. Melanie Sjoberg reports.
Adelaide - Up to 4,000 people protested outside a One Nation meeting in Adelaide. The protest was organised by a coalition of social justice and environmental activists around the theme "Extinguish racism, reject Hanson and [Prime Minister ] Howard". '. "Hanson is a puppet; Howard pulls the strings" and "Asians are welcome; racists are not" were popular chants which continued well into the night. Only 600 people attended the reactionary meeting.
The efforts of the rally co-ordinators to keep the protest non-violent were hampered by the police. A sepa- STOP rate corridor for Hanson supporters was THE blocked off by RACIST
PORKLINE
HANSON
The Other White NTPO
Meat!
mation yet against racist deputy Pauline police, who directed them to pass through the rally. At one point, a large contingent of National Action (a neo-fascist group with a history of violence) members pushed and kicked their way through the centre of the rally. Police stood by, refusing to take any action, and later stopped organisers from setting up a PA system, making it difficult for speakers to address the large crowd.
Extinguish Racism organiser Sam King told Green Left Weekly that the Findon rally was an enormous success because "it was attended by a large cross-section of the community, including Aboriginal and Asian youth, students, trade unionists and families of all ages who were there to express their views peacefully... It is a pity that the media focused on the scuffles with National Action - which lasted all of a few minutes - instead of reporting on the largely peaceful rally, which was, of course, less sensational."
"People are fed up with her lies and attacks on Aboriginal and migrant communities," he continued. "Hanson is whipping up a racist atmosphere which
NSON OXLEY 4 will only serve to deny
Aboriginal people and
IPA migrants their democ-
ES! MORON ratic rights... It is important to directly challenge the message of racists like Hanson and Howard, so that it
PISS OFF doesn't have the space to flourish." *
PAULINE
Source: Green Lett Weekly Home
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