By Ray Fulcher
Melbourne — A coalition of groups and individuals, Brunswick Against the Nazis (BAN), is planning a mass counter-demonstration against the extreme right-wing group National Action (NA) at the Brunswick Town Hall on March 5.
NA has advertised a rally to "defend white rights" and against "the Asianisation of Australia". NA's rally is being held at the town hall at the same time as a local multicultural festival nearby.
NA has been active recently in Melbourne's northern suburbs, particularly Brunswick, Northcote and Preston, with racist posters and graffiti, harassing people along Sydney Rd, and intimidating tram staff, especially Asians. Brunswick is strongly multicultural and has large Arab, Asian, Greek and Turkish communities. The festival is a celebration of the suburb's cultural diversity.
The counter-demonstration called by BAN has the slogan "Never again, No Nazis, Rally Against Racism". According to BAN spokesperson David Glanz, it is shaping up to be the biggest Anti-Nazi demo of the past four years.
"The response has been huge so far, with a wide range of groups and individuals endorsing the rally", said Glanz. Among those endorsing the rally are left wing/socialist groups and parties, the Chinese Students Community, Kurdish Association of Victoria, Australian Jewish Union of Students, unionists such as Martin Kingham (CFMEU) and John Cummins (BLF), Democrat Senator Sid Spindler, various student representative bodies, Aboriginal student clubs and gay and lesbian groups.
" The aim of the counter-rally", said Glanz, "is to totally demoralise the fascists by out-mobilising them on the streets". He said it needed to be made clear to NA that they were not welcome in the area and that they cannot hold a public rally without facing massive opposition.
The BAN rally starts at 11am, March 5, outside the Brunswick Town Hall, corner of Sydney Rd and Dawson St, Brunswick. Phone (03) 386 4815 for more information or to endorse the Rally Against Racism.