Breakout from racism- from Woomera to Drumcondra

national | miscellaneous | news report Tuesday July 30, 2002 20:16 by Movement of Imagination - Globalise Resistance globalise_resistance at yahoo dot com

No Borders, No Frontiers- Immigrants are welcome here!

GR Bulletin 30 July 02-

1. Video screening of the Woomera Breakout
2. GR activists meeting- responses to racism
3. HOUSE the Homeless benifit gig

WOOMERA- RIPPING DOWN THE FENCES

"Until going to Woomera the issues pertaining to refugees in Australia were important to me, but somewhat academic. A bit distant. Then on Good Friday, it all became too, too real.

Over 1000 people marched on the Woomera concentration camp, and after many hands made light work of the perimiter fence, we were suddenly face to face with the people the racist Liberal and Labor parties havn't wanted us to see.

People in tears, reaching out through razor wire. Cutting themselves on the wire just to be able to reach out and touch and speak to those who want so desperately to help them.

A single pair of wire cutters appeared from somewhere, and a length of pole and all of a sudden the desperation of those inside became real.

With little thought or care for the consequences, people, mostly men, flung themselves from the fence into the hands of the receptive and supportive crowd.

Their lives, a few told me earlier, had been destroyed in their homelands, all the people I spoke to were from Afghanistan and Iran. These are places Australia has recently supported the violent destrucion of, and for decades we have allowed horrible atrocities to occur. On Good Friday we met a very few of the people who are the human consequences of Austraila's foreign policy.

I've cried a number of times in the last few days, remembering these people and their desperation. This mass escape was a huge afront to the safety I take so much for granted in comfortable Melbourne. These people were scared, desperate and very, very alone.

I'm not a christian, but was brought up as one, and i seem to remember that Good Friday was the day that Jesus was crucified. He was murdered for rebelling against the church and the state, in the name of love and freedom. Just what a couple of thousand people did at Woomera last friday.

For the time being the state continues to villify us and to persecute those whose despearate cries for freedom won't be heard by the pompous and bloated officers of our sad and racist laws."

-testimony of anti- Woomera camp activist

GR will be screening the Woomera Detention Camp breakout this Saturday August 3rd at 3pm in Bowes Pub on Fleet Street, in solidarity with 22 year old Irish activist Johnathon Joseph O Shea who was jailed this week in Australia for his part in the breakout. Hopefully, Josh will get out this Friday, and we look forward to seeing him here in Ireland on his return. Ciaron O Reilly, an Australian who has been a long term opponent to racist immigration controls, will also speak on the movement in Oz today.

Woomera shows that the anti capitalist movement can actually physically resist the racism of our rulers, and with Mc Dowell and Operation Hyphen launching widespread dawn raids on immigrant and refugee homes, it is time to take inspiration from the Australian example. The government is signalling its willingness to spread terror in the refugee and immigrant communities, moving from a policy of hush-hush deportations to dawn raids and deportations en masse. Members of refugee, immigrant and anti racist organisations are welcome to the meeting to organise responses to this racist crackdown.

2. ZERO TOLERANCE FOR RACIST ATTACKS

On a sadder note, Natsuko, a young Japanse student who was victim of a racist stoning in Drumcondra, will also be there to describe her ordeal. Racist attacks on people of colour, especially Chinese and Asian students, are now at an all time high, and they are stoned, spat on and assaulted every day. As well as resisting deportations and the scapegoating of refugees, we also need to stand up to these disgusting attacks happening daily on the streets of Dublin.

This Saturday
August 3rd at 3pm
in Bowes Pub on Fleet Street

3. HOUSE the Homeless

Finally, thanks to everyone who came to the highly enjoyable "STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS" gig last week. It now looks like being a monthly fixture, with a good mixture of live music, DJs, videos and activist information stalls. One of the DJs, Paddy Dempsey from Messy@Mono and a GR supporter, has organised an event with a difference. The cream of Irish DJ's are coming together to help Dublin's homeless. Called HOUSE the Homeless, it has over 20 House music DJs playing, including Nick Corrigan, Simon F, Francois, Ron's Mobile Disco, Spectrum is Green, Arveene, Zero Tolerance and many more. On this Bank Holiday Sunday 4th August, at Club Mono, Wexford Street.

Admission is 12 euro, all profits go to Focus Ireland.

For more info on Woomera and Johnathan Joseph O Shea, see

http://www.melbourne.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=30693&group=webcast

http://www.melbourne.indymedia.org/woomera-archive.php3