Police violence at Indonesia solidarity protest
By David Gosling
CANBERRA — On April 24, more than 150 students and solidarity activists travelled from NSW and Victoria to meet local activists at the Indonesian embassy for an emergency rally in solidarity with arrested and "disappeared" student activists in Indonesia.
The rally heard solidarity messages from the National Union of Students' NSW education officer, Damien Cahill, and the Community and Public Sector Union's ACT government section secretary, Tim Gooden. Southern Cross University, Australian National University and Sydney University student representative councils, and the ACT Trades and Labour Council, also sent messages of support.
Max Lane from Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor, Sean Healy from Resistance, and Edwin Gozal from the banned Indonesian People's Democratic Party addressed the rally.
An effigy of Indonesian dictator Suharto was burnt and the rally marched to Parliament House where speakers highlighted the Australian government's economic, military and diplomatic support for Suharto.
When the protesters began to chalk slogans and the names of political prisoners on the pavement, police charged into the crowd. Gareth Smith, a long-term Indonesia-East Timor solidarity activist from Canberra Program for Peace, was arrested.
Police and Australian Protective Services personnel dragged Smith to a paddy wagon, while protesters attempted to defend him, shouting "Let him go". Protesters circled the van, linked arms and sat down. Police dragged protesters from the van, injuring several, and after 30 minutes the van escaped.
Protesters assembled at Civic police station, where Smith was finally released — although he had refused to sign an agreement that he would not return to Parliament House for three hours. "I told them that while demonstrators in Indonesia were being tortured and jailed for their beliefs, I could not agree not to return to Parliament House to defend them. It is a terrible day when the Australian state arrests a school teacher for using chalk to write a freedom message", Smith said.
Nikki Ulasowski, spokesperson for Resistance, which organised the demonstration, said, "the overreaction of the police shows just how sensitive to criticism the Howard government has become. They're going to receive a lot more of it in the coming months.
"This rally was one of the broadest yet, including many student and trade union representatives, Indonesians, Timorese and people from the Aceh freedom movement. We won't stop until Australian aid to Suharto ends, all political prisoners are released and real democracy and justice is established in Indonesia. The next major mobilisation will be three days of action all around the Asia Pacific region from May 29 to 31."