[Green-Activist] Vigil at US warships

[Anne Goddard]

Via Treena and the TS-07 e-list

Protesting against US warships in Brisbane 

  On Saturday 9 June, Jen, the kids and I held an afternoon vigil at Hamilton Wharf in front of two visiting US warships, the USS Tortuga and the USS Juneau, on their way to war games at Shoalwater Bay. We vigilled from around 4:30p.m. opposite the front entrance where buses, mini buses and taxis were busy ferrying US military personnel in and out of the port. Our signs read, “US warships not welcome” and “War games = Terror training”.

  Not long into the vigil two police came out from in front of the warships and asked what we were doing. I told them we were communicating that US warships were not welcome in Brisbane. The policeman told us that he respected our right to an opinion but that the road was actually private (despite passing cars and a few people who had come to see the ships) and that it would be in our best interests if we moved on. I asked him who owned the road and he said he didn’t know. I asked him where the private road ended and the public road started and he said he didn’t know. He then said that he had the power to give us a direction to move on. When asked what this meant he said that if he gave the direction and we failed to leave the area in five minutes then he could arrest us. I asked if he was giving us that direction but he said no. We indicated we would stay. He asked for how long and I replied until dusk, 10 or so minutes away. 

  Meanwhile the policewoman was busy copying down our number plate details. Jen asked her why she was doing this and was told she did not have to tell her. I said we had nothing to hide. The policeman said he would speak to his superiors. They went back into the port area and did not return. We vigilled for a further 20 minutes in front of passing buses before darkness made our signs unreadable. 

  The scenario of two police threatening to move on a family with kids for holding a sign whilst they turned their backs on a war machine anchored in the port, on its way to war games exercises truly brought home the warped priorities of those in power. When a family holding signs is seen as more of a threat than an armed US warship whose role is to destroy and kill then something is seriously wrong. The threat to free speech displayed by police whose job was to protect power and the threat to humanity from a system that legitimises and protects violence was obvious. The only things that needed to be moved on were the two warships anchored a hundred metres from us but they seem to be afforded all the protection they needed. 


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