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 →

Sexual slavery victims to be remembered

War Crimes, , ,
Statue honouring ‘comfort women’, Uniting Church in Ashfield

The 7th International Memorial Day for Japanese Military Sexual Slavery Victims will be commemorated on Wednesday August 14th. The event will also coincide with the 1400th time that regular Wednesday rallies have been held in Seoul that have called for a resolution of the Japanese military sexual slavery issue.

It is estimated that 200,000 girls and young women were forced into sexual slavery in colonial times and during WW2 by the Imperial Japanese Army. Countries where this systematic sexual abuse took place included Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaya, Manchukuo, Taiwan (then a Japanese dependency), the Dutch East Indies, Portuguese Timor, New Guinea and other Japanese-occupied territories. Continue reading Sexual slavery victims to be remembered →

Ridding the world of nuclear weapons

Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty, Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, , ,

The date July 7, 2017 marks two years since the historic adoption of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW or the treaty). To celebrate the occasion, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) has launched a new resource entitled Campaigner’s Guide to Signature and Ratification of the TPNW.

ICAN was a major influence behind the negotiation of the TPNW and was awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for its endeavours. The treaty is wide ranging and aims to prohibit the use or the threat of use of nuclear weapons along with their development; production and testing; acquisition, possession and stockpiling; transfer; and stationing and deployment. Continue reading Ridding the world of nuclear weapons →

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.

Open Letter on Venezuela

Venezuela
Recent pro government rally in Caracus. Photo by Prensa CRBZ

In response to the US led campaign to further destabilise Venezuela, an Open Letter was issued on Thursday, January 24, 2019. It has been signed by 70 scholars on Latin America, political science, and history as well as filmmakers, civil society leaders, and other experts.

The Open Letter notes that under the Trump administration, aggressive rhetoric against the Venezuelan government has increased with Trump administration officials talking of “military action” and condemning Venezuela, along with Cuba and Nicaragua, as part of a “troika of tyranny.” Continue reading Open Letter on Venezuela →

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.

Politics in the Pub

US Marines in Darwin

The topic ‘Give ’em the boot! Time to close the US base in Darwin?’ was debated at Politics in the Pub in Surry Hills, Sydney on June 28, 2018.

Speakers at the event included Nick Deane (Give ’em the Boot Campaign) and Dr Andrew Mack (Lecturer in Political Economy of East Asia at the Boston University Sydney Academic Centre).

YouTube videos of their presentations can be accessed here and here.

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.

Global Day of Action on Military Spending in Sydney – Sat. 21 April 2018

Military Spending, ,

The Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) takes place every year in mid-April. This day of action was originally proposed by the International Peace Bureau (IPB) and the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) with the primary goal of promoting a general awareness of the vast amounts of public money spent on the military.

Groups around the world who support GDAMS are calling for a major shift in budget priorities so that human development programs can be adequately funded. Continue reading Global Day of Action on Military Spending in Sydney – Sat. 21 April 2018 →

“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.

Palestinian children still victims of Israeli abuse

Israel & Occupied Territories,

The arrest, detention and mistreatment of Palestinian minors by Israeli authorities has been well documented by international agencies such as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).1

It is reported that approximately 500-700 Palestinian children are arrested and prosecuted in the Israeli Military Court System every year.

Exasperated by this ongoing violation of human rights by Israeli authorities, MPG’s ‘ambassador’ in Tasmania, Jo Errey, decided to raise her concerns with her local member, Andrew Wilkie MP. Continue reading Palestinian children still victims of Israeli abuse →

Remembrance Day, November 11, 2017

War Commemoration, ,
Left click to enlarge

Members of MPG attended the Cenotaph in Martin Place for the Remembrance Day service on November 11, 2017. They displayed a banner saying ‘Honour the War Dead by Ending War!’ and distributed a flyer to explain why they were there. There was a generally positive response, but some of the military community clearly resented our presence and our message. Another photo.

More on US Marines in Darwin

US Marines in Darwin,

MPG has written to Sen. Marise Payne, Minister for Defence, again on the topic of the US marines that are routinely stationed in Darwin. The letter argues that the strategic reasons that the Australian government has given for the deployment are not sufficient to justify this development. It argues that hosting the armed forces of a foreign country represents an extraordinary departure from what has happened in the recent past – requiring a special explanation. The full text of the letter can be read here.

On March 29, 2018, MPG wrote to the Minister again asking what assurance the Australian government has that the US marines would not engage in military action on orders from Washington. The fear is that Australia would be powerless to prevent such an eventuality, so that no such assurance can be provided. The full text of the letter can be read here.