Afternoon of M1 protests

DARWIN- M1 was kicked off, Kate Stockdale and Ryk Molon report, by the early morning appearance of banners emblazoned "Free the refugees" outside the empty Coonawarra detention centre.

At noon, 60 activists gathered in Raintree Park for an afternoon of speeches, banner painting and street theatre. Highlights included speeches by former East Timorese refugee Jose Evaristo and Resistance's Chris Atkinson and performances of the Bob Marley song "Get up, stand up" and an R&B version of Madonna's "Material girl".

At 4pm, protesters marched to the Northern Territory Trades Hall, where Australian Manufacturing Workers Union organiser Jamey Robertson and the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union's Allan Patton addressed the crowd.

The march proceeded to Darwin's immigration department offices and the defence forces recruitment offices before finishing at theh Department of Justice, where Network Against Prohibition spokesperson Gary Meyerhoff condemned the NT's proposed "drug house" legislation. NAP set up a "tent embassy" in front of Parliament House, vowing to stay there until it is clear the drug laws have been abandoned.

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: 8th May 2002
Source: Green Left Weekly
Website: http://www.greenleft.org.au
Email: glw@greenleft.org.au
Copyright: 2002 Green Left Weekly