[Green-global] Melbourne Report - Spirit of Eureka Committee - In Solidarity!

[Anne Goddard]

Dear Friends,

Melbourne meeting "Defend Australia from US War Games" was a resounding 
success.  We counted about 110-120 people at the meeting (overwhelming 
majority were people not usually seen at regular  activists' 
meetings/activities) and all speakers were a huge success with the audience. 
Several people approached me congratulating us on organising this important 
meeting, the format of the meeting and the quality of speakers.

People were requesting continuing information/education meetings/activities. 
Inclusion of brief statements from the Japanese, Filipino and Latin American 
speakers was inspiring and offered positive illustrations of ordinary 
people's struggles against US military bases and American military 
activities in the region.  The attendance was very good considering the 
issues of the effects of the joint military exercise on the local 
environment,  US bases in Australia, Australia-US relations, etc. to date 
have not been taken up in a systematic way here.  Further, we were competing 
with another public meeting with high profile speakers and there was some 
confusion with the venue by one or two organisations publicising the event.

Harry Kerr from Pax Christie also spoke briefly about the Candlelight Vigil 
outside St. Patrick's on 14 June.

Three resolutions were passed unanimously (attached to this email): - (i) 
condemning Talisman Sabre 07 exercises; (ii) supporting Pine Gap 4; and 
(iii) calling on the organisers to continue building activities in Melbourne 
opposing US military bases.  The resolutions reflected the main theme of all 
speeches.

Please convey resolutions from Melbourne's public meeting to the Pine Gap 
protesters and to the National Convergence activities at Shoalwater Bay.

Also attached for your information is the Melbourne public meeting's Agenda 
listing names of all speakers, etc.

I plan to compile all speeches and email them to all on the Talisman Sabre 
distribution list over next 2-3 weeks, if you think it's appropriate.  A 
great resource.

We also distributed the Peace Convergence facts sheets on the Environment, 
Social and Economic Effects, Militarisation and the local Indigenous people.

Congratulations to all.
In solidarity
Shirley Winton
Spirit of Eureka Committee


-- 
This message has been scanned for viruses and
dangerous content by MailScanner 
at http://lists.altnews.com.au/MailScanner.html ,
and is believed to be clean.