My Syria Demo Speech Sept 13 2015

Rally against the bombing of Syria by Australian Forces.

Sunday September 13, 2015

Australian military forces have meddled in Syria 3 times in the last 100 years.  Each time they interfered they had a negative effect.  They meddled and destroyed their way thru Damascus in WW1.  .  They were there in WW2 to fight the Facist French allies of Nazi Germany.  They are there now!  They have never gone to Syria because Australia is in anyway threatened but because they wish to obey the dictates of an Empire.  Originally we slavishly followed the British Empire and now we are the same with the US Empire.  It is about time our political leaders stood up for our interests and the interests of our common humanity with all peoples.

More recent history would tell us that every time we have assisted the US in intervening in the Middle East it has been an exercise in brutality that has fractured and disabled countries and left them in increasing spirals of violence.  Each time we have seen a miserable failure.  I speak of Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.

The US lied to us about Vietnam.  We know they lied to us about the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.  The former Liberal Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Fraser called the British and now the US dangerous allies that lead us into dreadful blunders like the Iraq war.  A reasonably competent Government and equally aware Opposition would be cautious about springing to the aid of the US in this instance but no we have the same old groveling acceptance of whatever the US says is OK.  We say it is not OK but is opening the door to more brutality, more terrorism, and more refugees seeking some future outside of Syria. 

Australia is always ready to undertake these stupid and cruel adventures because we spend so much on the military so we can be prepared and tooled up to jump to attention when Uncle Sam calls.  We are not under any threat yet our expenditure on the military goes up each year and the Abbott Government has promised to get it up from $32 billion to close to $40 billion.  We in the peace movement campaign constantly to decrease military spending. 

We campaign to have Australia as an independent non aligned country out of a US – Australia military alliance, it is the influence of the US which makes us spend so much on the military and makes us host nearly 50 US bases here so the US can harass other countries and now we even host US marines in Darwin.  It is time for the Yankees to go home not for the bombing of Syria by Australian forces!  We fight for our country to be free of the US military and our involvement with the US in its brutal wars.

The IS or Daesh threat has been simplified to the usual simple slogans of a thuggish Prime Minister ‘the fight is coming to us’ what nonsense!  Australians have more chance of being eaten by Sharks than dying at the hands of Daesh!  The situation in Syria is extremely complicated with Russia, US, and NATO involved as well as the competing interests of Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kurdistan, Iran and Iraq, the Emirates.  As well as ethnic and religious tensions that is playing a part in the continuation of the conflict.  Some of these countries have been tacitly or overtly supporting and supplying the Daesh with weapons yet they have not been called to account or forced to back down.  This is where the struggle against Daesh should start with starving them of weapons and military equipment.

We are 14,000 kms away from Syria we could do more for a political settlement of the conflict than aiding the bombing of the Syrian people.  Refugee workers are reporting that people are fleeing Coalition bombing as well as the bombing by others.  Even the US Secretary of State has made the statement that Russian military involvement “could further escalate the conflict, lead to greater loss of innocent life, increase refugee flows’.  What a laughable statement as if US bombing and Australian bombing would not do the same thing? 

The Australian Government has taken the brutal option in relation to the Syrian Civil War and we as Australian citizens are obliged to engage in a massive resistance campaign against this vulgar and bigoted Government.

Attendance at these rallies is a great way to start this campaign and congratulations for getting out today to be here and say loudly NO!

Extend that by using these cards or other means of communicating with Government.  Let them feel a storm of pressure as they boast about how the RAAF flew into Syria yesterday.

Sign petitions – online ones and others

Boycott any WW1 celebrations and remind people this was the first time Australia meddled and harmed Syria!

Fight to get the US bases out of Australia as these bases facilitate attacks on other countries by the US.

Join with your local peace group, political group or any group to condemn this action by the Government.  Do not keep you’re disgust to your close circle of acquaintances but let your Government feel the heat of your anger and resistance!