[The following call was issued on January 20 by the Canterbury-Bankstown branch of the Socialist Alliance in south-west Sydney.]
The Canterbury-Bankstown Socialist Alliance is calling for unity against racism in the March [NSW] local government elections. We urge all anti-racists to unite in a broad election ticket to campaign for the Canterbury and Bankstown councils to actively fight against racism in our communities.
In particular, we urge participation from the Greens, progressive ALP members, community welfare groups, youth organisations, ethnic and migrant associations, and other groups and political parties interested in social justice and human rights.
Racism is re-emerging as a major problem in our community in a new, more potent form, deeply linked to the domestic and foreign policy agenda of both the state and federal governments. Faced with rising cynicism — and outright hostility — against the government's anti-people policies, the fat-cat politicians of the major parties are resorting more and more to racist blame and fearmongering.
They're cynically manipulating the tragedy of September 11 [2001] to deflect blame for society's ills onto refugees and people of Muslim and Arab backgrounds.
They've massively exaggerated the problem of terrorism to put us all in our place and terrorise us against dissent. This was clearly shown by the sham Willie Brigitte affair. September 11 has been convenient for the racists, giving them a pretext for everything from attacks on civil rights to the illegal and unjust war on Iraq.
While local government has limited powers, it is still a link in the system of government and, therefore, offers us a public platform to speak out and organise against specific problems that affect our community, such as racism.
We will push for council to openly take a strong, loud stand against the racism of NSW Premier Bob Carr's and Prime Minister John Howard's governments. We will use the platform of the local council to hit back at every racist police/ASIO raid, at every racist lie uttered by Carr and Howard, at every frame-up by Carr's racist mates in the corporate media and the shock-jock radio stations.
Furthermore, local governments command considerable resources. If elected, Socialist Alliance councillors would push to divert more of these resources to tackle racism in our community through initiatives such as:
- Community-driven anti-racism education through local youth and cultural organisations, local schools and public events.
- A people's hearing to inquire into racial discrimination and harassment in the area.
- Establishment of an office in the council to tackle all cases of racial discrimination by government and private organisations in the area, and to legally advise and represent any member of the community.
- Elected community boards to monitor and expose racist policing.
- A "know your rights" program for young people harassed by police.
- Turning Canterbury-Bankstown into a refugee-welcome area.
- Free use of council meeting and photocopying facilities for any community-initiated anti-racism activity.
- Expansion of interpreter services for local government.
- Expansion of local services in community languages.
- Establishment of free and comprehensive English-language classes.
- Material and political support for anti-racist media.
We will also push to cap the pay of all councillors and other elected officials. We will seek to work with all progressive councillors in other local government areas to coordinate a comprehensive anti-racism push throughout Sydney.
These are our ideas in the Socialist Alliance. If you'd like to throw in others and participate in this election campaign, we welcome your input. For those in Bankstown call Raul on 0403 037 376; for those in Canterbury call Susan on 0412 922 646. Also, contact our campaign office at the Bankstown Activist Centre on (02) 9793 2188 or Aaron on 0403 879 220.
From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, January 28, 2004.
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