>From: "redflag1917" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Melbourne S11 protest victory >Communist Party of Australia Statement > >During the meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) held at the Crown >Casino in Melbourne from September 11 to 13, thousands of people took to >the streets in opposition to the insatiable greed, brutality and arrogance >of capitalism, its corporations and the governments that serve them. > >The courageous demonstrations reveal the growing understanding of the real >nature of the world we live in. More and more people are coming out against >Nike, Nestle, Mitsubishi, Shell, Rio Tinto and the many other >transnationals with their criminal exploitation and abuse of workers, >peasants and the environment upon which we all depend for survival. > >Over the three days of actions in Melbourne at least 30,000 people took >part, many of them young, many from organisations, some coming as >individuals. > >They came to condemn corporate globalisation, to speak out for the poor and >oppressed, to fight for a better future and, as their immediate aim, to >shut down the WEF meeting. > >A real people's alliance was built on the streets of Melbourne with many >discussions, street theatre, music and a carnival atmosphere in which the >people felt the strength of their numbers and the common cause between all >participants. > >On the first day there was some success with about one-third of the >delegates kept out of the meeting. On the second and third days, in order >to get WEF delegates into and out of the meeting, police on foot, on >horseback and using dogs, smashed their way through the human barricades. > >To the screams and shouts which echoed around the gambling casino where the >WEF meeting was held, were added the sirens of ambulances rushing injured >protesters to hospitals. > >The demonstrators, many of them new young activists, showed outstanding >courage and commitment in the face of large and brutal police actions. > >This brutality was another example of the growing repression by reactionary >governments being used against the people resisting the attacks on their >jobs, democratic rights, health, housing, education, welfare services and >environment. > >The right-wing Labor Premier of Victoria first provoked the violence by >criticising the police for not being "forceful" enough. After the police >violence he praised them for doing what he called an "excellent job". > >The right-wing Labor Premier of New South Wales, described the >demonstrations as "bully-boy fascism", while he found unity inside the WEF >rubbing shoulders with Bill Gates and other corporate capitalists. > >The right-wing Labor leaders together with the representatives of the >conservative parties found their brand of common cause in protecting the >interests of global capital. > >Not for the first time, right-wing social democracy betrayed the people. > >The police brutality is being investigated by Victoria's Ombudsman and many >of those injured are taking legal action against the police. > >On the second day, a large trade union rally marched to the casino to hold >a protest rally against globalisation. Following the meeting many joined >the people's blockade. > >Despite the police violence, despite the lies and misrepresentation of >sections of the media, despite the injuries and fear, the demonstrators >were steadfast in maintaining their blockade for three days. > >Spokesmen for the World Economic Forum went on the defensive, claiming that >they had failed to properly "explain" the benefits of globalisation and >free trade to the public. > >Some claimed that they shared many of the concerns of the protesters and >that, of course, everyone should share in the benefits of globalisation. > >These smooth, well-fed, well-dressed representatives of the big >corporations own and control vast wealth, but they are not convincing a >growing number of people around the world. > >They will not convince millions that their poverty, unemployment, lack of >health care and their homelessness is "inevitable" as WEF representatives >assert. > >The word "capitalism" has come back into the vocabulary here in Australia >and a stronger basis for real social change is being built. > >To the names of Seattle, Washington and Davos can now be added Melbourne, >September 2000. > >It is now, "Over to you Prague", where the next battle against IMF, World >Bank and corporate capitalism is to take place in a week's time. > > ><!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> ><HTML><HEAD> ><META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> ><META content="MSHTML 5.50.4030.2400" name=GENERATOR> ><STYLE></STYLE> ></HEAD> ><BODY bgColor=#ffffff> ><DIV> ><DIV><FONT face=Arial><STRONG><FONT face="Times New Roman">Melbourne S11 >protest >victory<BR><I>Communist Party of Australia Statement</I> ><BR></FONT></STRONG><PRE><STRONG>During the meeting of the World Economic >Forum (WEF) held at the Crown >Casino in Melbourne from September 11 to 13, thousands of people took to >the streets in opposition to the insatiable greed, brutality and arrogance >of capitalism, its corporations and the governments that serve them.</STRONG> > >The courageous demonstrations reveal the growing understanding of the real >nature of the world we live in. More and more people are coming out against >Nike, Nestle, Mitsubishi, Shell, Rio Tinto and the many other >transnationals with their criminal exploitation and abuse of workers, >peasants and the environment upon which we all depend for survival. > >Over the three days of actions in Melbourne at least 30,000 people took >part, many of them young, many from organisations, some coming as >individuals. > >They came to condemn corporate globalisation, to speak out for the poor and >oppressed, to fight for a better future and, as their immediate aim, to >shut down the WEF meeting. > >A real people's alliance was built on the streets of Melbourne with many >discussions, street theatre, music and a carnival atmosphere in which the >people felt the strength of their numbers and the common cause between all >participants. > >On the first day there was some success with about one-third of the >delegates kept out of the meeting. On the second and third days, in order >to get WEF delegates into and out of the meeting, police on foot, on >horseback and using dogs, smashed their way through the human barricades. > >To the screams and shouts which echoed around the gambling casino where the >WEF meeting was held, were added the sirens of ambulances rushing injured >protesters to hospitals. > >The demonstrators, many of them new young activists, showed outstanding >courage and commitment in the face of large and brutal police actions. > >This brutality was another example of the growing repression by reactionary >governments being used against the people resisting the attacks on their >jobs, democratic rights, health, housing, education, welfare services and >environment. > >The right-wing Labor Premier of Victoria first provoked the violence by >criticising the police for not being "forceful" enough. After the police >violence he praised them for doing what he called an "excellent job". > >The right-wing Labor Premier of New South Wales, described the >demonstrations as "bully-boy fascism", while he found unity inside the WEF >rubbing shoulders with Bill Gates and other corporate capitalists. > >The right-wing Labor leaders together with the representatives of the >conservative parties found their brand of common cause in protecting the >interests of global capital. > >Not for the first time, right-wing social democracy betrayed the people. > >The police brutality is being investigated by Victoria's Ombudsman and many >of those injured are taking legal action against the police. > >On the second day, a large trade union rally marched to the casino to hold >a protest rally against globalisation. Following the meeting many joined >the people's blockade. > >Despite the police violence, despite the lies and misrepresentation of >sections of the media, despite the injuries and fear, the demonstrators >were steadfast in maintaining their blockade for three days. > >Spokesmen for the World Economic Forum went on the defensive, claiming that >they had failed to properly "explain" the benefits of globalisation and >free trade to the public. > >Some claimed that they shared many of the concerns of the protesters and >that, of course, everyone should share in the benefits of globalisation. > >These smooth, well-fed, well-dressed representatives of the big >corporations own and control vast wealth, but they are not convincing a >growing number of people around the world. > >They will not convince millions that their poverty, unemployment, lack of >health care and their homelessness is "inevitable" as WEF representatives >assert. > >The word "capitalism" has come back into the vocabulary here in Australia >and a stronger basis for real social change is being built. > >To the names of Seattle, Washington and Davos can now be added Melbourne, >September 2000. > >It is now, "Over to you Prague", where the next battle against IMF, World >Bank and corporate capitalism is to take place in a week's time. > > _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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