BY ANGELA LUVERA
"Around the world young people are radicalising through the new anti-corporate globalisation movement. In some cases this has meant putting their lives directly on the line such as in Indonesia, PNG and at the recent mass protests in Genoa against the G8 summit", says Nikki Ulasowski, the national coordinator of Resistance.
91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly spoke to Ulasowski and other Resistance activists about the organisation's upcoming national conference, which will be held from September 28-30 in the sleepy Victorian coastal town of Anglesea.
"In Australia we have seen a burst of activism on campuses, high schools and on the street. The next focus is the blockade of the Commonwealth Business Forum in Melbourne and the mass protests at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Brisbane.
"These major protests will further the fight against the World Trade Organisation's new trade round. They will give us an opportunity to say — 'Yes! A different world is possible'," commented Ulasowski.
Melbourne Resistance organiser and RMIT student Fred Fuentes explained that the "S11 protests last year were incredibly inspirational. It had a major impact on Australia radical politics, which was highlighted by the tremendous success of the M1 blockades of the stock exchange this year."
"Resistance has been central in organising this new movement — that's why the Melbourne Resistance branch has become so much bigger. The 2001 Resistance national conference is shaping up to be an important conference for young socialists across the country. It will be held just days before the S11-style blockade of the CBF in Melbourne."
Lauren Carroll-Harris, a Sydney high school student who organised a high school walkout for M1, agrees.
"The growth of the global movement against corporate globalisation has really captured the imagination of high school students everywhere — over 500 students walked out of school to go to M1 in Sydney and Melbourne alone. Now, we're seeing entire schools being declared 'sweatshop free' as students take matters into their own hands, demanding that corporate tyrants like Nike be put to justice."
"I'm going to the Resistance conference to discuss how we can further expand the anti-Nike campaign, and take the campaign against sweatshop labour and the fight to put people before profits into high schools around Australia."
Globalising solidarity is a major feature of the anti-corporate movement. Canberra Resistance organiser Stuart Munckton commented: "Resistance has always been committed to building solidarity with international struggles. We are very proud of this history, in fact campaigning against the war in Vietnam gave birth to Resistance as an organisation.
"Recently we helped build the August 16 National Day of Action in solidarity with the people of Indonesia, Aceh and Papua New Guinea. In Canberra a number of Resistance activists went on hunger strike and protested outside the Indonesian Embassy. We weren't content with just a passive speakout so two of us attempted to chain ourselves to the gate. This was a highly successful action."
The Resistance conference this year will feature a talk from an Indonesian democracy activist and from an East Timorese activist. It will also feature an eyewitness account, from Democratic Socialist Party activist James Vassilopoulos, of the July Genoa protests.
"A clear message from the anti-corporate movement is that we are for globalising human solidarity", said Munckton. "We want a world where human and environmental needs are globalised, not corporate needs. The Resistance conference will be an important chance for activists to help plan how we can actively support struggles for justice right around the world."
In Brisbane, immediately after the blockade of the Commonwealth Business Forum in Melbourne, activists are organising mass protests against the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
Brisbane Resistance co-organiser and activist in the CHOGM Action Network, Susan Austin, commented: "In the last year, Resistance has gained a wealth of experience in understanding, building and leading the movement against corporate globalisation.
"I can't wait for this year's conference, when we'll all get in the one room and discuss important questions like: Which way forward for the anti-corporate movement? How are we going to make CHOGM and CBF a successful mass demonstration that gives a major boost to the movement? What are we going to propose as the next focus? And how will we get the message out that a different world is possible?"