Video of Melbourne S11 blockade

Moving video of Melbourne S11 blockade
S11 This is what democracy Looks Like

Dear friends,

The S11, 12 and 13 blockade of the World Economic Forum at the Crown
Casino in Melbourne attracted tens of thousands of activists united in a
common goal of shutting down a meeting of the world's ruling class. The
blockade represented a wide variety of political voices, of different
political perspectives and strategies. But its success was unity against
corporate greed and against the outcome of the corporate system, namely
the extreme poverty and exploitation of the Third World.

A video is now available to spread the message and the experience of S11
to activists around the world. "S11 This is what democracy Looks Like"
was produced by Actively Radical TV, a Sydney based Community TV group
which broadcasts on Sydney Channel 31. The video is 44 mins long. A
review of the video by Simon Butler in the October 25 Green Left Weekly
is attached below.

The blockade was spread over a large area and with many different
entrances, with actions happening all around. While not able to
represent all groups, all protest actions or events, the video combines
interviews from organisers and activists on the blockade lines, with
speeches from trade union leaders and activists who participated in
demonstrations during the three days as well as capturing the spirit of
the protesters during the three days who held the blockade lines strong.

The video documentary is one alternative voice of the people and along
with the myriad of other filmmakers allows the voices of the people to
be heard -- voices of people who are willing to take to the streets in
civil disobedience actions in defiance of the government and who are
unrepresented in the bosses' media.

In Solidarity,

Jill Hickson

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HOW TO ORDER:
Cost: $40 organisations $15 individuals (add $5 for postage)
Send Cheque/money order to ARTV, 73 - 75 Princes Hwy St Peters NSW 2044
Also available in NTSC (US format) Cost: $45 organisations $20
individuals (Add $5 for postage)
For overseas orders send bank cheque in Aus$
email: artres@loom.net.au Phone: 61 - 2 - 9565 5522

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REVIEW Green Left Weekly 425, Oct 25, 2000

S11 videos document the truth

S11: This is What Democracy Looks Like
Produced by Jill Hickson and John Reynolds, Actively Radical TV, Sydney

Melbourne Rising
Produced by SKA TV, Melbourne

Reviewed by Simon Butler

The 20,000-strong blockade of the World Economic Forum's summit in
Melbourne on September 11-13 signalled that Australia has truly become
part of the international movement against neo-liberal globalisation.

S11 was a success not only because it united and radicalised a new
generation of anti-capitalist campaigners, but also because it did this
against concerted efforts from politicians, business leaders, police and
the establishment media.

The mainstream media, in particular, went all out to discredit the
blockaders. Their coverage of S11 seemed to have been written in advance
of the event, and the photos inserted later.

Television coverage consistently showed police attacking protesters, but
the accompanying commentary spoke only of riotous protesters attacking
police. Daily newspapers, such as the Age, Herald Sun, Australian and
Sydney Morning Herald promoted four broad lies: that the protesters were
ignorant, violent and undemocratic; that the Victorian police were
courageous, heroic and, if anything, far too lenient; the WEF is worthy
of praise rather than protest; and globalisation is beneficial and
unavoidable.

Columnist Jennifer Hewitt, in the September 12 Sydney Morning Herald,
asked incredulously, "Didn't the S11 realise the delegates were ever so
keen to talk about how to spread the benefits of globalisation fairly?".
The Herald Sun's Terry McCrann opined on September 11, "In short and in
sum there's going to be reason and knowledge inside Crown [Casino] this
week ... and ignorance and anger outside".

But the argument that the 968 multinational corporations that are WEF
members were meeting to try to solve poverty and exploitation was never
going to be convincing. It was simply too unfeasible.

Therefore, the corporate media largely focused its attention on the
supposed "violence" and lawlessness of the protesters.

Before the protests had even begun, the Herald Sun's Mark Buttler and
Mark Dunn claimed that the protesters were "hell-bent on forcing their
ill-considered views on others more enlightened" (September 9). In the
September 12 Australian, editor-in-chief David Armstrong urged the
police to intensify attacks on protesters, saying it was "police
ineptitude" which resulted in the rights of forum delegates to be
abrogated. The cover of the September 12 Herald Sun blurted "SHAMEFUL"
(meaning the protesters) and reported how reluctant police were
repeatedly "forced" to hit protesters with their batons and fists.

John Hamilton's piece in the September 13 Herald Sun was headed "A
Salute to our Brave Force" and stated, "For two days and two nights
[police] have stood in the cold, the wind and the rain, heckled, abused
and provoked by some of the most loathsome protesters ever to beset a
decent, democratic society".

Unfortunately for the Herald Sun, its photographs seemed largely to
confirm the opposite. One picture (Herald Sun, September 13showed a
protester cowering on the ground with his back to a police officer who
had his arm raised and about to strike. The photo was captioned merely,
" Police and a protester".

Another photo (Herald Sun, September 14) shows an unmarked police car
driving over the top of a protester's leg. The accompanying article
states that "the police officers did not realise they had hit the
demonstrator".

These attempts to discredit and falsify the protesters are hardly
surprising; the owners of Australia's mass media are members of the same
exploitative class that the S11 protests were directed against.

Anybody who wants to know the facts and judge for themselves has to turn
to alternative, independent media, such as Green Left Weekly and two
independently produced films on the S11 blockade: S11: This is What
Democracy Looks Like from Actively Radical TV and Melbourne Rising from
SKA TV.

This is What Democracy Looks Like clearly presents the politics behind
the S11 protests. It is an antidote to the obfuscation and distortions
of the capitalist press.

Protesters explain that the transnationals represented at the forum
secure and increase their profits by ravaging the environment,
exploiting the labour of the Third World and driving down wages,
conditions and job security in the developed countries - a message which
never got a run in the mainstream media.

The film shows the blockade to be a powerful example of mass democracy
on the streets. On the first morning, thousands of people gathered in
the rain and peacefully linked arms in front of all the entrances to
Crown Casino. Contrary to the frenzied claims of mainstream journalists,
This is What Democracy Looks Like demonstrates the protesters'
overwhelming commitment to a peaceful, non-violent blockade.

When the police attempted to break through blockade points, protesters
chanted "No violence, no violence" and "Peaceful protest, peaceful
police" in an attempt to defuse the situation. It rarely worked. One
police attack alone resulted in 30 protesters being hospitalised. The
film shows that the violence at S11 was routinely and purposefully
initiated by the police.

However, the protest was not solely defined by police aggression. For
most people, the protest was fun and exhilarating, a carnival of music,
dancing, speakers, puppets and clowns.

The S11 protests were striking for their diversity: it was the first
time in a long time that trade unionists, environmentalists, socialists,
anarchists, feminists, high school students and community groups joined
together and made their stand against a common enemy.

"This protest has brought real democracy to Melbourne", said an
interviewee in the film. Tim Gooden, a construction worker, unionist and
Democratic Socialist Party activist, is filmed telling the September 12
union rally, "This is all of ours and we want it back. Keep fighting
forever!"

SKA TV's Melbourne Rising documents some of the most brutal and vicious
behaviour of the Victorian police during the three-day blockade. It too
reveals that there was no provocation by protesters, other than
peacefully linking arms and asserting their right to protest.

The film shows police illegally removing their identification badges so
they could assault protesters without risking prosecution.

Melbourne Rising documents some of the inspiring successes of the
protest, including the victory parade on S13 when the entire blockade
marched through the centre of Melbourne carrying huge puppets, placards
and flags. Protesters then linked hands and formed a human chain,
encircling the huge Crown Casino complex.

The film also captures an impromptu indigenous rights rally held around
a car carrying Western Australian Premier Richard Court into the casino.
Court had attempted to drive through the protesters' blockade point. The
chant of "End mandatory sentencing! Land rights now!" rises to a
crescendo as Court sits graven-faced in his besieged car.

This is What Democracy Looks Like and Melbourne Rising are both
screening around the country this month. For details of the showings
being organised by Resistance in many cities, see the advertisement on
page 4.
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