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SORRY, THE CASINO AINT OPEN FOR BUSINESS TODAY

Further on round at the pedestrian entrance to the casino on Clarendon St (west side) things were a bit more tense. A couple of punters were upset at not being able to get in to the casino to lose their money, and were making an attempt to breach the blockade. They were quickly repelled and eventually left after a bit of argy-bargy and some heated verbal exchanges.

Not long after this (at around 2pm) the high school student march arrived. Much had been made in the press about how the evil S11 organisers had been "recruiting" children and training them for the "violent" protests, and so there was a strong media contingent on hand to greet the kiddies, who marched behind a huge red banner with the slogan "High School Students Against Corporate Greed". At a guess, I'd say there were over 200, some of them in school uniform.

DAY ONE MATCH REPORT

My overall impression of Day One was that the tactic of blockading the casino had largely been a success. Seeing those delegates walk through the barricades at 7am had me doubting that it was going to work, but later it became clear that many delegates (reports varied from 200 to 300) had not made it to the meeting. Some made it by helicopter, and Aussie pm John Howard was forced to travel by boat down the Yarra River!

And the police? As in Seattle, it was clear that the policy on Day One was to avoid making arrests - only two arrests were made throughout the entire day. It also appeared that police had been under orders to avoid excessive use of force to remove blockaders, even if this meant that some of the delegates would not be able to get through. Perhaps this was part of a plan to justify the crackdown the following day. Perhaps authorities hoped that demonstrators would be the first to resort to violence. Or perhaps they just fucked up. Who knows. But the day was definitely won by the demonstrators.

S12: WALLOPERS WALLOP AWAY

"CRACKDOWN - Police baton charge"
- Headline in the Herald Sun PM edition, September 12, 2000

September 12 I arrived at the casino around 9am on September 12. Things appeared much the same as the previous day. Numbers were slightly smaller, but demonstrators were still blockading all entrances around the Crown complex. However, from talking to people it soon became clear that police tactics had changed completely from the day before. At around 7am, some 200 riot police appeared from behind the barricades and attacked the 100 or so protestors who were defending the Queensbridge St entrance to the casino. There was no warning and no attempt to arrest the protestors. The aim was to clear a passage for delegates to be bused in and to inflict maximum damage. As one newspaper reported, it was "payback" time for the police. According to the Herald Sun, eleven protestors were taken to hospital after the melee, one with a possible punctured lung. One police officer collapsed with a heart attack. A similar operation was conducted at the Clarendon St entrance to get the delegates out that evening, in what was generally regarded as the most violent episode of the entire three days. This time more than a dozen demonstrators ended up in hospital, and journalists (including the TVNZ Assignment crew) were among those attacked by the police.

UNION BUREAUCRATS SELL OUT

The highlight of the day was supposed to be the union march and rally organised by Trades Hall (the main union umbrella group in Victoria). Throughout the build up to S11, union bosses had kept their distance from the other protestors, and had even played along with the media bullshit about protestors' plans for violence. But last minute negotiations had seen Trades Hall agree to lead a march to the casino at 10.30am on Tuesday, September 11. In the end, it probably would have been better if they had stayed on the other side of the river, as originally planned. The march was impressive enough, with up to 5000 unionists taking part. It ended at the stage on the south side of the river on Queensbridge St, where unionists listened to a few speeches before being given the rest of the day off. Some chose to wonder around the casino. A few joined the blockade, but others verbally abused and taunted people who had spent the last day and a half putting their bodies on the line to make the blockade a success. Others crossed the picket line and overpowered blockaders to ensure that some casino workers could get in. This was a treacherous act against the likes of Food Not Bombs, who had supported the unions during the recent waterfront dispute and who were also prominent throughout the S11 campaign. Union boss Brian Boyd rubbed salt into the wound by claiming their actions in breaching the picket line "showed unions were the true voice of working class protest in Victoria". So much for the "spirit of Seattle".

MELBOURNE BLACK BLOC

Later in the morning I met up with some members of the Black Bloc. As in Seattle, some (but by no means all) anarchists in Melbourne chose to organise themselves into a single group wearing mainly black and with their faces covered with black or red and black bandanas. They would coordinate their actions with the other demonstrators, but not be tied down to a set location or follow the "directions" of protest marshals. The Melbourne Black Bloc consisted of about 40 anarchists, including some from Sydney and New Zealand. Some were members of long-standing affinity groups, but the 40 had only come together as a group a few days earlier. At times they acted as a single group, and at others they split into smaller groups, staying in touch by cell phone. The attitude of the other demonstrators towards the Black Bloc was mixed. Some felt that the masks dehumanised the Black Bloc, and I must admit I found it difficult to have a conversation with someone whose face I couldn't see. But the Black Bloc did gain respect by giving their support when it was needed. Not long after I joined up with the Black Bloc members, a marshal came up and explained that some unionists were trying to get people through the blockade and could they please come and help!

Apart from the Black Bloc, the anarchist presence at Melbourne took the form of individual protestors with black flags, smaller groups like Food Not Bombs and the IWW who operate according to basically anarchist principles, and the anarchist symbol (the circle A), which along with other graffiti could be seen on nearly every available wall, footpath and lamp post on and around the casino by the Tuesday. I also spotted some anarchist posters, but it was a pity that an anarchist book or information stall could not have been organised within the tent city on Queensbridge St. Every other political group in Melbourne seemed to have set up a table, along with the Falun Gong, who had quite an impressive display outlining the oppression they faced in China.

COLLECTIVE SELF-DEFENCE, NOT NON-VIOLENCE?

That's about it. I'm sure I don't have to remind everyone that this account is based on my own personal observations and opinions. Don't rely on what I've told you. Read the eyewitness accounts on the Indymedia site and talk to other people who were there.

So where to from here? I was impressed by the restraint and commitment to non-violence demonstrated by protestors in Melbourne. But one thing we should learn from Melbourne (and Seattle) is that as far as the cops and media is concerned, it doesn't make a difference. As long as we stand up to the bastards we're considered fair game. Peaceful blockades are now considered acts of violence by the press. Dozens of people ended up in hospital, including a woman who was run over by an unmarked police car. Perhaps its time to change tactics, if only to prevent so many of our people getting injured. Gone are the days when police issued warnings and then moved in to make arrests. Now it's in with the batons and horses (or tear gas and pepper spray) without warning. I'm pretty sure sitting down and linking arms is not the best way to defend oneself against this kind of attack. Any suggestions?

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