While yet another detention centre in Australia, Villawood, run by British multinational Serco, is today facing refugee riots (and what do we expect, locking people up for months if not years? No mental trauma or anger?), earlier this week ABC TV’s 7.30 tackled the role of Serco. The story wasn’t bad (overly focused on under-staffing…
Showing all posts tagged Australia
NSW Greens speak up (gasp!) for Palestinians
Bravo: The NSW Greens have vowed to continue championing Palestinian human rights after a Sydney council’s boycott of Israel collapsed in the face of overwhelming political pressure. Marrickville Council, in Sydney’s inner-west, on Tuesday night dumped its boycott of Israeli products and services after widespread criticism from the federal and state governments, business leaders and…
SBS TV News story on Marrickville, BDS and Palestine
I feature near the beginning, talking about how the West allows the Zionist state to get away with its occupying ways. Background here and here.
What I said last night in Marrickville backing BDS and Palestine
Here’s an audio recording of my speech. The quality ain’t great (and I know it was recorded by many people so hopefully other audio and video coming soon): Here’s the ABC Radio AM story this morning on last night’s proceedings. The journalist interviewed me (but this wasn’t included in the final story…oh the shame!) but…
Marrickville madness over BDS but Palestine rights aren’t forgotten
I was present at last night’s Marrickville council meeting over BDS. It was a circus. Hundreds of people attended. Protesters, Zionists, students, unionists, Palestinians, Arabs, citizens. Countless numbers of people couldn’t fit into the council chambers (luckily I was inside for proceedings). In the end, the BDS didn’t succeed but in many ways this wasn’t…
Wikileaks founder takes a leak on US empire (and we cheer)
Yay: A painting of Julian Assange taking a leak has won this year’s Bald Archy prize. The caricature by French artist Xavier Ghazi portrays the WikiLeaks founder with his trousers around his ankles, urinating into a top hat with the US flag on it.
What Australians really think about Israel/Palestine? (mainly confusion)
The main message from the latest Essential Media polling is that most people don’t really know much about the conflict and remain unsure who is to blame (see here and here). A few points. Close to a majority said that criticising Israel isn’t anti-Semitic (take note Zionist lobby). Many believed the issue fueled anti-Muslim sentiment…
BDS will continue in Australia (aka we’re only warming up over Palestine)
Public meeting Boycotting Israel is the right thing to do: Why Murdoch’s Australian is wrong over BDS Speakers include: Samah Sabawi, Australians for Palestine Antony Loewenstein, author of My Israel Question Sylvia Hale, former NSW Greens MP The Murdoch media’s campaign to force Marrickville Council to abandon its support for a global campaign to pressure…
When will this stop? Aussie media sees role defending glorious Israel
The Sydney Morning Herald features (gasp!) an Arab in the story: Marrickville Council’s push for a boycott of Israel is likely to be quashed at a meeting tonight despite an attempt by the mayor, Fiona Byrne, to soften the move by calling for an in-principle boycott only. The four Labor councillors and two of the…
Why Marrickville BDS should stand; Naomi Klein and others make the call
Thank you: Dear Marrickvile councilors, We the undersigned would firstly like to congratulate the… Marrickville Council… in Sydney’s Inner West, Australia for their courageous motion (dated December 14, 2010) in support of the Palestinian-led global movement of Boycott,… Divestment… and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with international law. The BDS campaign is deeply inspired by the South…