All posts by Nick Deane

“War or Peace?” Town Hall Meeting – 19th March 2023

AUKUS Security Pact, Iraq War, US-China Relations, War Powers Reform, , , , , , , ,
Photo by J. Atkins. Click to enlarge

In sweltering conditions, around 320 community members packed the Marrickville Town Hall on Sunday 19th March, to hear a number of speakers discuss the AUKUS (Australia, UK and US) security pact and the current trajectory of Australia’s foreign and defence policies.

Mary Kostakidis, who facilitated the meeting organised by MPG, conducted a revealing interview with retired Col. Lawrence Wikerson (former Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell). Col. Wilkerson joined the meeting via a video link from Virginia in the U.S. Continue reading “War or Peace?” Town Hall Meeting – 19th March 2023 →

Sydney remembrance of Iraq invasion

Iraq War,
Click to enlarge

March 20th, 2021, is the 18th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. That invasion was unnecessary, illegal and contrary to the UN Charter – yet Australia joined it. The outcome was the destabilisation of the Middle East that continues to this day.

Marrickville Peace Group has called a rally to demonstrate the fact that it has not forgotten (and will not forget) what was a shameful day.

Join the rally from 2.00pm, Saturday March 20, 2021 in Town Hall Square, Sydney.

Celebration of Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty’s entry into force

Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, , , ,

The Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) entered into force on January 22, 2021.  Antoinette Riley (pictured holding the Nobel Peace Prize medal awarded to International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) in 2017) was amongst members of MPG who attended an event to celebrate the occasion in Martin Place (Sydney). They heard Gem Romuld (Director of ICAN Australia) who explained that the event in Sydney was just one of more than 150 similar events taking place around the globe.

Continue reading Celebration of Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty’s entry into force →

Defence Legislation Amendment (Enhancement of Defence Force Response to Emergencies) Bill 2020

Defence Issues, , ,

A controversial Bill entitled the Defence Legislation Amendment (Enhancement of Defence Force Response to Emergencies) Bill 2020, is to be debated in the Senate.

According to lawyer Kelly Tranter, if the legislation is enacted it would authorise the use of foreign military and police forces and would give them the same immunity from legal liabilities as Australian forces. Tranter writes: “The use of a foreign army or militarised police force should not be allowed at all, and certainly not without the safeguard of citizens’ rights of access to courts.”1

Continue reading Defence Legislation Amendment (Enhancement of Defence Force Response to Emergencies) Bill 2020 →

Does the government now attach greater significance to preparations for war than it does to seeking peaceful co-existence?

Military Spending, US-Australia Alliance, , ,
Photo: The Canberra Times – Australian FA-18F Super Hornet. Click to enlarge.

That is the question MPG has put to the Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon. Linda Reynolds, in a letter.

MPG’s letter points to the fact that Australia has ignored the UN Secretary General’s call for a global ceasefire, by announcing an additional $270 billion expenditure on defence. Meanwhile it also ignores the risk of Covid-19 infection by hosting US marines in Darwin and by joining the RIMPAC naval exercises off the coast of Hawaii.

All of these points support the contention that the Australian government is more intent on preparing for war, than it is on maintaining peace. It is a sorry state of affairs. The full text of the letter can be read here.

Honour the War Dead by Ending War!

Impacts of War, War Commemoration, WW1

As in past years, MPG will be active again on Remembrance Day – Monday, November 11. The group aims to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph in Martin Place, Sydney. The wreath will have white and yellow flowers (white for peace and yellow in recognition of service personnel who have taken their own lives). It will bear the slogan used in previous actions – ‘Honour the War Dead by Ending War!’

Read the media release here.

Postscript

A wreath, procured by Antoinette Riley, was laid at the Cenotaph. Peter Griffin (in the photo) and Nick Deane represented MPG.

 

IPAN’s Fifth National Conference

Independent and Peaceful Australia Network, ,
Peace activists outside Robertson Barracks, Darwin. Click photo to enlarge.

The Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) held its fifth national conference in Darwin over the weekend of August 2-4, 2019. Darwin was the chosen location because it has, since 2012, played host to a US Marine Air-Ground Task Force. The MAGTF reached its full compliment of 2,500 personnel in July.

The conference began with a public meeting at the Charles Darwin University’s (CDU’s) Waterfront Campus. The meeting was attended by about 90 people – most of these were interstate conference attendees, but a good proportion were local. Continue reading IPAN’s Fifth National Conference →

War’s toll on children

Impacts of War,

Armed conflicts around the world are inflicting a devastating toll on children.

Save the Children’s report Blast Injuries: The impact of explosive weapons on children in conflict states: “In 2017 nearly a fifth of all children were living close to conflict – with 142 million children living near areas of intense fighting. These children are more at risk of harm than any generation since the end of the Cold War. The number of verified incidents of all six grave violations against children in war – as  identified by the United Nations – continues to increase, with the reported number tripling since 2010.” Continue reading War’s toll on children →

Thoughts on climate change strike by school students

Climate change,
Click to enlarge photo.

On March 15, 2019 thousands of school students took part in rallies in Sydney and across the country to protest government inaction on climate change. While applauding these rallies, Nick Deane writes that concerns about climate change and the environment cannot be separated from concerns about militarism and war. Read the article here.

Armistice Day 2018

War Commemoration, WW1, ,

On November 11th members of Marrickville Peace Group plan to attend the ‘official’ Remembrance Day ceremony at the War Memorial in Hyde Park, Sydney. Whilst there, the group will display the slogan ‘Honour the War Dead by Ending War!’ and have a flyer with a message of peace ready for distribution.

Last year MPG members unfurled a banner with the same slogan at the Cenotaph. It caused some negative responses, so this year we aim to be more discrete. We intend hanging small (A5) placards, with the same slogan, around our necks.

MPG would be delighted if others choose to stand with the group.

Destruction of the ‘Australian Military Sales Catalogue’

Military Spending
Left click to enlarge

A public rally to symbolically destroy the Australian Military Sales Catalogue took place on June 30, outside the Queen Victoria Building. A small (and safe) fire was started for this purpose and the catalogue was destroyed page by page.

The catalogue is published by the Coalition government for the purpose of promoting the sale of Australian-made military equipment and weapons to other nations. Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher Pyne MP, has expressed the ambition of Australia joining the ‘Top Ten’ global armaments suppliers. View the YouTube video of the event here.

Read more about the opposition to the Coalition government’s new global defence strategy here.

“Give ’em the boot!”

US Marines in Darwin, US-Australia Alliance

MPG has joined the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) in a campaign aimed at ousting the US marines from Darwin. Up to 2,500 US marines are arriving in Darwin during April. Under an agreement that will last until 2040, the marines are here ‘on rotation’ every year. The reasons for this extraordinary deployment have never been made clear and opponents argue that, rather than making the nation safer, they increase to likelihood of some future attack.

 

MPG has been letter-boxing in Sydney and Newcastle, asking people to donate old boots and shoes that will later be ‘given’ to the Australian authorities. Peace activists are demanding that the ‘Force Posture Agreement’ between the US and Australian governments be terminated. The campaign in NSW is being led by Nick Deane and Bevan Ramsden.