Anzac Day and the coronavirus

War Commemoration, ,
Marrickville Peace Park

Due to the coronavirus, no public gatherings to commemorate Anzac Day will be held around the country this year. This has also resulted in the cancellation of the alternative Anzac Day Reflection which was scheduled to take place at the Marrickville Peace Park in Sydney.

This circumstance, however, opens up an opportunity for the Australian community to move away from Anzac Day ceremonies that have become so commercialised and politicised in recent decades.

In particular, it offers the opportunity for people, young and old, to critically reflect upon the Anzac legend and the historical distortions that this myth entails.

Continue reading Anzac Day and the coronavirus →

Aboriginal sovereignty and peaceful co-existence

Aboriginal Affairs, ,
Photo: Crikey. Click to enlarge.

Anzac Day Reflections organised by the Gallipoli Centenary Peace Campaign and actively supported by the Marrickville Peace Group in past years have always recognised the Frontier Wars and Indigenous people’s call for constitutional reforms to help them take their rightful place in society.

In keeping with this tradition, Peter Griffin has written a paper exploring the character of Indigenous sovereignty and the obstacles to its realisation. Below is a synopsis of his paper. The full paper can be read here.

Continue reading Aboriginal sovereignty and peaceful co-existence →

Inner West Council flies Morning Star Flag in support of West Papuan independence

West Papua, , , , ,
Morning Star Flag flying at Leichhardt Town Hall. Photo: Australia West Papua Association. (Click to enlarge).

Saturday December 1, 2019 marked the 58th anniversary of the first raising of West Papua’s symbol of independence, the Morning Star Flag.

The annual Global Flag Raising for West Papua is an international event where supporters around the world hold solidarity rallies and, on December 1, raise the Morning Star in support of the West Papua people and their right to self-determination.

This legitimate aspiration for self-determination was thwarted when an ‘Act of Free Choice’, popularly known as the ‘Act of NO Choice’, took place on August 2, 1969. This fraudulent vote involved a handpicked group of 1,025 West Papuans who were coerced, under the threat of violence, into voting for integration with Indonesia. Continue reading Inner West Council flies Morning Star Flag in support of West Papuan independence →

The beginning of the end of nuclear weapons

Nuclear Disarmament, Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty, , , , ,
Source: Beyond Nuclear International

On November 21, 2019 the Marrickville Peace Group (MPG) held a public screening of two documentary films on the threat to human survival posed by nuclear weapons.

The first film shown was “The Beginning of the End of Nuclear Weapons”. This feature-length documentary focuses on the history of nuclear weapons as well as the anti-nuclear movement that has campaigned to bring a nuclear weapons ban treaty into international law.

The later part of the film is based on interviews with leading activists from many different organisations and countries, including those associated with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Continue reading The beginning of the end of nuclear weapons →

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 →

Screening of ‘The Coming War On China’ by John Pilger

US-China Relations, ,
Click to enlarge

On Thursday April 4, 2019 the Marrickville Peace Group hosted a presentation of John Pilger’s 60th documentary ‘The Coming War on China’. The event was held in the Stirrup Gallery at the Addison Road Community Centre in Marrickville.

In John Pilger’s words: “The aim of this film is to break a silence. The United  States and China may well be on a path to war. And a nuclear war is no longer unthinkable … This film is about shifting power and great danger. It is also a film about the human spirit and the rise of an extraordinary resistance among people on the front line of a coming war, where the words “never again” have an urgent meaning for all of us.” Continue reading Screening of ‘The Coming War On China’ by John Pilger →

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.

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.