I survived the APEC protest march...
And when I edit the virtual miles of video "footage" I shot, I'll show you some interesting stills.
Some facts from this observer: Except for a few violent lunatics who always turn up at events like this, the march was entirely peaceful. I estimated the crowd to be about 10,000 strong. The police were over the top in a couple of their reactions and they were generally trying to be intimidating.
I want to acknowledge the organisers for the great lengths they went to in urging the crowd to remain peaceful and to not retaliate to any acts of provocation by police or other provocateurs. And it worked. As I said above, it was a peaceful protest march.
I went up to one officer in the thick blue line, who was doing a sad job of trying to look intimidating, stuck my face REAL close to his, and gave him my best sergeant's intonation when I said to him (whilst boring into his eyes with mine) "When this country turns into a fascist state, remember the part you played here today, laddie!!!"
The day was good for my adrenalin addiction.
Some facts from this observer: Except for a few violent lunatics who always turn up at events like this, the march was entirely peaceful. I estimated the crowd to be about 10,000 strong. The police were over the top in a couple of their reactions and they were generally trying to be intimidating.
I want to acknowledge the organisers for the great lengths they went to in urging the crowd to remain peaceful and to not retaliate to any acts of provocation by police or other provocateurs. And it worked. As I said above, it was a peaceful protest march.
I went up to one officer in the thick blue line, who was doing a sad job of trying to look intimidating, stuck my face REAL close to his, and gave him my best sergeant's intonation when I said to him (whilst boring into his eyes with mine) "When this country turns into a fascist state, remember the part you played here today, laddie!!!"
The day was good for my adrenalin addiction.
posted by The Editor at
10:26 PM
13 Comments:
Goodonya Sarge ..
(am also waiting avidly for the footage and/or pics, but won't hold my breath .. i know what is involved with editing, best wishes.)
Comprade,
It is good to see you putting your non-violence ideals into practice. Only by setting a good example in person can we hope to keep protests non-violent.
Sometimes, I feel so very angry especially when a woman is screaming at the top of her lungs as the police swarm over her.
The important thing about non-violence is self-discipline and remaining calm when it is so easy to succumb to the emotions of the moment.
If you hadn't given your medals back, you could have shoved them up his nose.
Most of the violence I saw were gangs of police surrounding one person.
Davo, yeah, the editing. I only just downloaded MickySoft Movie Maker. Next I'll have to learn how to drive it. Grrrrrrr...
Douglas, yeah, setting the example is important. I'm working on it... Hey your mates in the MUA sure made a grand entrance at the rally! I was MOST impressed! The crowd went wild with applause. Loved it!
JahTeh, yep, the police were using their numbers. The media, whilst making passing reference to the fact that the demo was predominantly peaceful, then proceeded to regale us with police propaganda stunts and the endless coverage of the few bits of violence that occurred. s you said individual nutjobs being pounced on by gangs of police.
There were so many interesting images/events they could have shown in their coverage but all they were interested in is showing the police power plays and violence.
F*ck the mainstream media!!! If anyone is guilty of dumbing-down Australia, it's the media. Grrrrrrrr..
Oh yea, and as usual, they used the deliberately underestimated figures peddled by the police. 3,000 my foot! Look at the footage, if that's not at least ten thousand, I'll kiss John HoWARd's arse!
9,999...pucker up, sport!
No really, well done Gerry.
Phil, I can't take any credit of the peaceful nature of the protest, if that's what you're referring to by "well done".
Credit for that goes to the organisers and the marchers. I, and others from PPPA, were there merely as observers armed with video cameras. And I might add that we failed to get any footage which would be useful in identifying any perpetrators of uncalled-for violence. So our mission was a failure from that viewpoint.
Unlike Petraeus, I am willing to say our "surge" did not impact the level of violence one way or the the other.
Peaceful People Power Australia is only in its infancy and this was its first outing. We have learned heaps.
Keep an eye on the PPPA webjournal for debrief notes and future news about PPPA if this stuff interests you.
Actually Gerry, most of the credit for keeping the action peaceful despite weeks of Howard/Iemma/cop/police intimidation was down to the comrades of the Socialist Alliance and DSP, who you so regularly bait as supporters of ``violence''. They were key leaders of the Stop Bush coalition (Alex Bainbridge and Pip Hinman), provided and organised the marshalling and are now being lambasted by the the ultraleft sects for their trouble. Wednesday's Resistance high school walkout similarly was denounced for weeks by the NSW Labor government/cops/media alliance, but again was perfectly peaceful. How about giving credit where credit's due?
Hey, "glparramatta", few of points you might like to factor-in here:
[1] I did give credit where cred was due. Who do you think I was referring to when I said "I want to acknowledge the organisers" if not the Stop Bush Coalition, whose campaign I talked-up on ALL of the websites I run???
[2] Why not use your name (first name will do) when you post in here, instead of hiding behind "glparramatta"?
[3]Say hello to Rach for me, eh...
[4] The Socialist Alliance quite openly, and regularly, validates the use violence as a means dealing with violence. Pacifists don't. I don't know where the DSP stands on the issue of nonviolence as a political strategy.
[5] Whenever I've tried to "sell" nonviolence as a superior strategy to anyone from the Socialist Alliance, all I've ever bumped into was a non-interested, dismissive attitude, and a staunchly dogmatic reiteration of the "right" of people to meet violence with violence. i.e. the antithesis of Nonviolence Theory.
[5] Don't be so sensitive! :-)
Hi Gerry,
I am not hiding behind ``glparramatta'', that's what this blog program put up. I'm Terry Townsend, the convenor of Socialist Alliance in the Mountains. You might remember the email address with glparramatta in it because you sent an abusive reply to it last time I sent you a notice about one of our events.
I'm glad you give credit to the ``organisers'', but you are quick to slander by name SA, DSP and Green Left Weekly as advocates of violence, but less ready to praise them by name when they actually prove the opposite.
No we do not place ``non-violence'' above all else. We recognise that sometimes it is inevitible in self-defence and sometimes, due to state provocations, it occurs when it would be best it did. Sometimes oppressed people have no other choice. But we prefer to achieve our goals by peaceful means, particularly via mass action. we don't put an equal sign between the violence of the oppressed and the violence of the oppressor and the state.
I'm not very sensitive, just want fairness.
Terry
The last para of the previous comment should read: ``No we do not place `non-violence' above all else. We recognise that sometimes it is inevitible in self-defence and sometimes, due to state provocations, it occurs when it would be best it did NOT.''
Terry
leave a comment at the Socialist Alliance site if you want:
http://www.socialist-alliance.org/page.php?page=682
Terry, Terry, Terry... Now you accuse me of slander and abuse. You really ought to grow a thicker skin... My, my... I'm SO awful...
It might surprise you that I am on a glparramatta email list. I've been to a number of your events at The Red Room in Katoomba. I generally like the stuff you guys put on. It's just that I find you guys a bit too one-sided when it comes to denouncing political violence and thuggery. It's like you guys don't get that two wrongs don't make a right.
We'll just put it down to doctrinal differences, eh? :-)
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