It was with a sinking feeling I trudged through the rain to Martin Place to see what it is I could learn about "Reclaim Australia". The wife packed me snap box and told me not to get meself thumped or drowned if the rain didn't stop. When PEGIDA (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West-born in Dresden, Germany-run by an idiot who had to stand down for his love of looking like one A Hitler) marched in Newcastle upon Tyne in February this year, their 400 was met with a counter protest of 2000 with the slogan "Not in my town. No to racism, no to fascism and no to anti-islam." It was not the success PEGIDA had hoped for. Of course the Toon were at home to AVilla on the same afternoon. It could have been much worse given a good chunk of the Toon team are muslims from all over the planet and heroes one and all in Geordieland. At the time I thought na, it (PEGIDA) would never get its leg over here in Sydney and if it did we would have the numbers to launch a similar counter protest in opposition.
It was a day of like events taking place around the land so there was a chance that by 6.30 news-Australia would be reclaimed but from what I wondered? Too much Tony Abbott, the Australian Cricket team's ongoing drinking Binge? Last time I saw Australia it was somewhere west of New Zealand, it still circled around the sun and there was a run on prawns for Easter. In other words, when I last looked it had not fallen to Islam, was not living under Sharia Law, nor being run by a cooperative of halal butchers. But, the Reclaim Australia Facebook page was at pains to say they are not racists, the day had nothing to do with racism! But any nazis wishing to attend any of the rallies should leave their swastikas at home. Reading their Facebook site tells me it is a mixed bunch of fellow travellers in this bed.
Watching people arrive around the lone stall and stage at the CBD end of Martin Place I noted the shirts with classy slogans of variations of the 'Love it or Leave it" morphing to "If you don't love Australia...then get the fuck out of here". Nice! There were the flags with the union jack on the corner and southern cross (err...Eureka Stockade mean anything to you mob?), the boxing kangaroo? Ok reclaim the kangaroo. But also an Aboriginal flag. 'Reclaim' Facebook site again sayin' they're not against the indigenous people of the land. But what were they for and against and why?
The people looked like they had set out for a slightly weirder Australian Day celebration. The guy in his cute jammies which on closer look were a patterning of little Australian flags. The 'officials' table by the stage had slogans such as "Reclaim tolerance of our ways", "Reclaim food free of Halal" "Reclaim our laws, our ways, our nation." Oh dear. Did we ever have tolerance of our ways or anybody ways. And what about additives, gluten free, kosher, organic and processed foods-shouldn't we be reclaiming something about them? There was the bloke with his sign held proudly up saying "Australian law, not sharia" but in small letters "say no to halal certification." Then there was a clown called Greg in his yellow Wallabies shirt with a sign saying "Sharia Law=pedophilia, rapist, racism" and then in red letters "God save us". Another person's sign read "Islam=brainwashed political cult not a religion". And then "Protect Penrith-Say no to Mosques". Calls to "Assimilate" and "Assimilate or leave". This was not anti extremist-this was anti-islam. Beware of low flying mosques in Penrith!
I am sure Peter Garrett and Midnight Oil would have been ecstatic to find their song "Beds are Burning" being used to fire up the crowd. Likewise did the crowd hear "The time has come, A fact's a fact, It belongs to them, Let's give it back". I hope I am not reading too much into it Mr Garrett by understanding the 'it' is the land, the 'them' the indigenous people. So I imagine a few hundred house deeds were passed over this weekend by 'grateful patriots' attending this rally. Then even more doin me head in was Men At Work's "Down Under" where "Women glow and men plunder". Please, is this what we are reclaiming? Followed by a rousing (but not Rolf Harris version) of Waltzing Matilda. People it is about a swagman, who from hunger steals a sheep, is chased by the police and drowns trying to escape. Of course all 200 attendees sang through the first verse of the national anthem but were a bit timid about the second verse. I guess that too comes with being a patriot.
I was standing in front of a line of police (who outnumbered the RA attendees) with a Lebanese friend and a group of young people dressed in black who I did not think were there to support the Reclaim Australia fraternity. And the police seemed to share that view because we were hedged in like foxes on a hunt.
There was a brief acknowledgment of the people of the land before the first speaker who called hiself a 'super patriot'-not racist you understand, just concerned about his country and his way of life. He listed the long list of Islamic influenced terrorist attacks in Australia, known and foiled, but left out the one in Broken Hill by the Afghani camel driver. It seemed from listening to Mr Australia super patriot speaker (and according to New Matilda commentators ex Australia Defence League) the logic is islam=mosques=hot beds of terror=introduction of sharia law across Australia= terrorism= unAustralian=loss of team Australia. My friend wondered if therefore all muslims are suspect because they either don't speak out and condemn aspects of islam or if they do speak, they don't say it like us (the white folk) or reassure us they are nice people who take tea at three etc. He further wondered whether these people (RA) are as lusty in their condemnation of the nastier parts of the bible. My friend has lived in Australia all his life. Is he not an Australian because he is muslim?
It was about then some of the young people in black slipped into the crowd and heckled the speaker and stage. The police action was swift as was the dobbing by the yellow jacketed protest marshals. They were directing the police to remove people they thought were not 'one of them'. Standing in front of me were two twats supporting the English Defence League (google)-go figure.
The reasoning by the police was the Reclaim Australia people had done the paper work for their protest. They were entitled to exercise freedom of speech and although there were people there inciting racial hatred, it was (us) the counter demonstrators stirring the pot. If me and my Lebanese friend said owt, we too would be evicted. We stood silent for awhile as more speakers seemed to be shrill with how islam, islamists, halal butchers and a whole range of other dodgy people where English was not their first language was bent on dragging Australia down onto its knees, flag, anthem and all. It was fair pissing down and having' had enough of being pissed on right and centre we decided we'd seen enough, but left with a bad taste about what this movement represents.
This was not about a greater Australian cultural identity but a narrow identity that is no longer relevant, the White Australia Policy. As Mr Dylan once put it "The times they have a changed" and we are a country now of many migrants, all living on land that was not ours. We cannot go backward but we can move forward and create a more inclusive and rich in cultural identity country. We owe that to future generations. These rallies, on this offering do not offer this aim or dream.
Think of the woman on television the night before who attacked her black African neighbours because their children played too loudly. Her words: "I'm sick of being a minority in my own country". She (white) is not a minority but others within our society, including the indigenous people, are. The reclaim is a false premise. A return to what? White Australia. A country stolen from its indigenous people. Then settled by waves of migrants wanting a better life. And for my Lebanese friend who does not condone terrorism in the name of islam, it is a better life than he had in Lebanon where he was under siege, where he lost family land to colonialism. He told me in his village the different sects and religions got along. People tend to when they have shared goals, a vision of belonging. Is that not something to achieve? It won't happen by assimilation, it won't happen by banning halal certification or destroying passports of those seduced by warlords to be cannon fodder. Yes, there are problems with global terrorism and the spread of it to Australia. But does this rally even begin to address why this is. Were they standing up to fascism or imposing their own? It is a close the doors, batten the hatches, send the boats back solution. It is not constructive or reasoned or effective as a solution.
Like Pegida, this protest is about old fashioned fascism and racism. Whether all of those attending knew it-these are their bed fellows they are snuggling up against. UKIP on steroids. So what emerges is "One Law, One People, One Nation"-where and how often have we heard that. Keep Australia White, why else did the Brisbane rally have one Pauline Hanson as a speaker. I am not religious and believe fundamentalism is destructive because it is anti-humanity and we should all challenge fundamentalism when it erodes the rights of children, women and other beliefs and values. But this rally was not about that. It was anti all islam and I believe at root, about creating 'the other' as a scapegoat. If they could just be all like me, what a wonderful world this would be! See the contradictions in islam but also in our own world view. Hypocrisy is just that, a double standard.
My disappointment? The numbers in the Sydney counter march (good on ya Melbourne!). I know it was wet, but standing against fascism when ever it stirs is something we should commit to. Where were the breadth of unions to protest against this blot? Again it was left to Socialist Alliance and the anarchists to keep faith and protest. And for the ten or so who stood in the middle of the crowd and were ejected for practising their freedom of speech to call it racism-all power to you comrades. Likewise the women who took over the stage. And to my Lebanese friend who asked me if all white people think like this...I sincerely hope not.
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| Nice jim jams, very patriotic |
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| See below |
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| Yo Greg! Great hat, dumb slogans mate! |
See 4 April 2015 New Matilda (newmatilda.com) article about the great Australian patriot's struggle with indigenous issues titled 'Aboriginals Are Dickheads': Reclaiming Australia, One Racist Video Rant At A Time
Postscript: Bill Shorten again misses the point-hate speech, as in the speakers for Reclaim Australia, is violence dressed as freedom of speech, but lets get the poison stated out in the open. He should have asked the police why was it wrong for people to heckle the speakers and verbally question the beliefs expressed by people at this rally.
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