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An audience of more than 600 people at a forum debate in Sydney on May 10 voted by a margin of 69% to 23%, that, "All drugs should be legalised." The forum was sponsored by Intelligence2, a project of the St James Ethics Centre. It heard arguments for and against the proposal and questions and comments from the audience. Dr Alex Wodak, president of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation, and a founder of Australia's first needle exchange, argued: "As a starting point, we must recognise that the 鈥榳ar on drugs鈥 has failed. Legalisation is the only answer.
Despite years of anti-labour laws, government attacks on unions, workplace restructuring and labour 鈥渇lexibility鈥, the huge turnout for 2011 May Day celebrations shows that South Korean organised labour is still a force to be reckoned with. On May 1, huge numbers of workers took to the streets for May Day protests across Seoul. Police estimated the crowd at more than 58,000 鈥 making it the largest 2011 May Day rally in Asia. The main demands of the rally were for better workplace security and an end to the casualisation of labour.
Tara blockade

Campaign groups Western Downs Alliance and Six Degrees combined with a number of other activists and organisations to bring us the Rock the Gates Festival at Tara showgrounds from April 29 to May 4

In the past few decades, Christian and Muslim theologies have been misinterpreted and used tactically against Middle Eastern dictatorships with no success. For instance, former US president George W Bush justified the 鈥渨ar on terror鈥 as a fight against an 鈥渁xis of evil鈥 and called for a new Crusade to liberate the people of the Middle East. This use of Christian theological concepts to justify the war in the Middle East requires a lot of spin.
For many Australians, Fairfax Media is a benign alternative to Rupert Murdoch鈥檚 right-wing media empire. Well-meaning people buy Fairfax newspapers such as the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age because they believe they present a fairer picture of the news. But just how fair is Fairfax?
Newcastle climate, forest and anti-war activist Pete Gray passed away on April 30 after a battle with cancer that lasted more than two years. Pete was a week and a half short of his 31st birthday. Pete was a founding and active member of the nationally and internationally renowned activist group , whose bold direct-action approach to climate activism has earned the acclaim of many supporters.
ISGD rally

Australia鈥檚 first national rally of intersex, sex and/or gender diverse (ISGD) people saw 180 participants gather on the lawns of parliament house, Canberra, on May 11. Two buses of ISGD people and allies travelled from Sydney.

Independent journalist and blogger Antony Loewenstein speaking at the 2011 Resistance Conference in Sydney on May 6. Part 2 of 2.

A tribute to the late Newcastle activist Peter Gray who made headlines as the person who threw his shoes at former Australian Prime Minister John Howard for his support for the invasion of Iraq.聽2011 Resistance Conference, Sydney.

Ravindran Munusamy, a youth activist with the Socialist Party of Malaysia opposes the Gillard Australian government's plan to send asylum seekers who come to Australia to Malaysia under a new deal with that country's government.

Matthew Cassel, former editor of Electronic Intifada, speaks on activist media and the Arab Spring at the 2011 Resistance Conference in Sydney Australia on May 7. See 聽for more information. The conference was held in the Redfern Community Centre.

, May 3 鈥 Marrickville Council may have backed off supporting the Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign but by highlighting the plight of the Palestinians, the Council鈥檚 initiative in this area, and the pro-BDS stance of the NSW Greens, has ensured that this will only be the beginning of the debate, not least of all within the Greens themselves.