Latest news with #protestmovements
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Changing the narrative about Palestine Action
According to Peter Hain, 'the approach to Palestine Action is contrary to every form of peaceful protest in British history, whether that's the Chartists and suffragettes or anti-apartheid and anti-fascist protesters' (Peter Hain says UK government 'digging itself into hole' over Palestine Action, 13 August). Mr Hain, I'm afraid, needs to return to his history books. Describing those radical and sometimes violent movements as 'peaceful protest' domesticates them and ignores the role that street fighting and property damage (for example) have played in successful protest in the past. From attempted armed uprisings, through bombings of cricket pavilions and churches, to Cable Street and elsewhere, those examples he gives of 'peaceful protest' saw activists exercise violent resistance. Furthermore, the repression of Palestine Action and those protesting against its repression is very much not contrary to approaches to past protest movements. Excessive action through police and courts, and violent repression from the British state, have been common. From transportation (and sometimes execution) of early reformers, through the force-feeding of imprisoned suffrage activists, to the beating to death of Blair Peach by police officers, the state has often responded to serious challenges to its authority in ways that defy reason, and used the criminal justice system to do so. Mr Hain is repeating a longstanding liberal story that seeks to domesticate radicalism. It's the story of a reasonable people interacting with reasonable governments to ensure slow and steady progress. Unfortunately, it is a story that runs contrary to historical (and present) NixonBlackford, Perth and Kinross As a 57-year-old participant in the 9 August Palestine Action protest, I find the tone of slightly surprised celebration of older participants to be rather patronising. There's nothing exceptional about older people's participation in political refusal, and I'm not up for the kind of argument that things must really be bad if old white women are coming out to protest in force. Older people – black, brown and white – have been central to civil disobedience as long as there has been protest. So while of course there will have been many people at the 9 August protest who were facing arrest for the first time, there were also many seasoned activists who were there in solidarity, in leadership and in persistent refusal to accept state curtailment of rights. These solidarity politics, which were beautifully in evidence among those waiting for arrest with their placards, come from feminist, queer and anti-racist histories of organising, solidarity and ethics that older people inaugurated. Today's protests are possible because of the refusal of people to keep quiet about poverty and inequality, racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia over many years. They are possible because of the risks that organisers have taken that have challenged police brutality and the hierarchies of social justice that prevent a full life – including freedom of expression – for all. People over 50 will continue to show up as long as there is public space to occupy. Clare HemmingsLondon What would happen if people wishing to demonstrate against the outlawing of Palestine Action carried banners emblazoned with the words 'inept escalation' – a description of the government's legislation that happens to be an anagram of the banned organisation's name (Protester arrested over 'Plasticine Action' T-shirt: 'How ridiculous is this?', 18 August)?Philip HoyChurch Enstone, Oxfordshire Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
SBS Australia
3 days ago
- General
- SBS Australia
'Always Was, Always Will Be' takes home top book award
'Always Was, Always Will Be' by Boon Wurrung and Wamba Wamba Elder Aunty Fay Muir OAM and Sue Lawson, has won the Eve Pownall Award at the Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Awards. The book, published by Indigenous publishing house Magabala Books, looks at the history and impact of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander protest movements of the last 200 years. From January 26 as the Day of Mourning in 1938 to the Pilbara strike in 1948 and the 1967 Referendum, 'Always Was, Always Will Be' shines a light on the First Nations fight for justice. Source: Supplied The CBCA Awards are the country's most prestigious awards in children's literature. Ms Lawson posted on social media to celebrate the win and called it an incredible honour. "We are overwhelmed and delighted," she wrote. "Always Was Always Will Be celebrates courage and resilience and is a truth telling book. We are so proud of it." Ms Lawson went on to thank her frequent collaborator Aunty Fay Muir, a respected Boon Wurrung and Wamba Wamba Elder. The pair have written five books together, including their first 'Nganga, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Words and Phrases' which was the inspiration for the Our Place series - a series of three children's picture books, also published by Magabala Books. On the release of 'Always Was, Always Will Be' in June 2024, Aunty Fay called it an educational book for students and teachers and should facilitate conversations. "The stories in this book need to be told and are crucial to our First Nations history," she said at the time. "The book's narratives need to be read, discussed and then students can go on a learning journey to further their understanding and knowledge about the history in this country.'
