Anti-racist activists in Queensland are gearing up for a rally in Pauline Hanson's home town of Ipswich on November 23. The Anti-Racist Campaign (ARC) has been meeting in Brisbane for a month, and a new anti-racist group began meeting in Ipswich on November 10. ZANNY BEGG spoke to some of the activists involved in the campaign about how to win the battle against racism.
ENOCH CHOY, chairperson of the Sino-Sophie Academy and spokesperson for the Queensland Chinese Community Voice, explained that the election of Hanson has "stirred up a lot of hidden fear amongst the community. Psychologically it has been very hard on Chinese and Vietnamese people. We thought we were moving in the direction of integration. Pauline Hanson has set this back, and we don't have faith in the present government to fight for the welfare of the ethnic community."
Choy outlined survey results compiled by the Australian Chinese Association and the Singtao newspaper in NSW which showed that the number of racially motivated attacks had almost doubled in the period since Hanson's inaugural speech to parliament. "Some new migrants are having their children abused at school, and they are very afraid", he said.
According to Choy, many Chinese people have traditionally been Liberal voters. He felt, however, that some now have doubts. "The present government, from John Howard downwards, has given silent permission to Pauline Hanson. She is being used as a test case. If they ensure that they have a sizeable majority to the right, they may do more in cutting back on multicultural commitments", Choy explained.
To win against racism, Choy said, it is important to "raise consciousness in the community about the contribution of migrants to society". The recently formed Queensland Chinese Community Voice plans to launch an information kit to dispel myths about migrants.
Choy also raised the importance of building links with the Aboriginal community. "We have solidarity with Aboriginal people", he explained, "but due to certain historical barriers, the two groups are not close enough and we hope to have more cooperation in the future".
The Queensland Chinese Community Voice will be holding an inter-faith candlelight vigil at the University of Queensland after the rally in Ipswich. "The theme for the rally", Choy outlined, "is 'Beyond Tolerance'. We are part of Australia; we want mutual respect and equality. The bipartisan resolution used the word tolerance, but we must have justice before we have peace and reconciliation."
PATRICIA THOMPSON, chairperson of the Ipswich Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service, agrees with Choy that the election of Hanson has led to a marked increase in the level of racial harassment. "Aboriginal people are starting to be abused in the street, just because they are black", she said.
Thompson related a story about her sister who was told she was a "black bitch" and forced to the back of a taxi rank with her two-year-old son. "In the schools we are starting to hear kids making comments about kids from other races. An Aboriginal girl was attending choir practice, and other students told her that they are not allowed to sit near blacks. These are the sort of incidents that have been happening since Hanson's speech."
Thompson believes that Hanson's views are "shared by people in the Coalition". When Hanson was first elected, Thompson wrote to Howard stating that Hanson was not fit to serve in parliament because she couldn't take the "oath to serve all people in the electorate". She is still waiting for a reply.
Thompson is enthusiastic about building unity in the campaign against racism. "The big rally in King George Square [on November 2] showed the support for Aboriginal people, migrants and people from other ethnic backgrounds", she said. "Hanson's initial comments were about Aboriginal people, and we organised a rally in Ipswich of about 400 people, but that was mainly Aboriginal people. Since then Hanson has gone for an all-out attack on Asians and other ethnic groups. The rally in King George Square shows that there is strength in unity, that people can come together as people."
Racism starts early, Thompson believes. "Listening to Pauline Hanson's mother talk about the 'yellow' people, you realise how deeply ingrained these sort of racist ideas are from childhood. We need education programs in the schools to combat these ideas. The racists have had the opportunity to speak out through Hanson, and that is filtering into young people", she said.
ROBERTO JORQUERA fled to Australia with his family in the wake of the military coup in Chile in 1973. He is a member of the Democratic Socialist Party (DSP) and involved in the ARC committee.
Jorquera agrees with Thompson that the campaign against racism is particularly important amongst young people. "If young people are won to a racist perspective, the future is very grim. But if we can involve young people in the campaign against racism, then we are strong", he said.
The DSP, in conjunction with the socialist youth organisation Resistance, is organising stalls outside high schools in Brisbane to inform students about the anti-racist campaign.
Jorquera thinks the November 23 rally will be an important step forward for the campaign. "Taking the fight into Hanson's electorate", Jorquera explained, "will be a powerful sign that she does not have the support that she claims. The residents of Ipswich will be there in force, and several bus-loads of activists will be coming in from around Brisbane to support the rally."
For more information or to book a seat on a bus to Ipswich, telephone ARC on (07) 3254 0565 or 3871 1446.