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ISSN 1446-4896

Three months have passed since the police brutality at the anti-Fred rally on October 1st. Most of the hearings of the arrestees are scheduled for January. One guy, arrested for offensive behaviour, has been placed on a $100 good behaviour bond. Most of the rest are pleading not guilty.

Police Minister Pickering and Police Commissioner Avery are reported to be shocked by the police actions. However they are not shocked enough to drop the charges.

Most gay men and lesbians are outraged at the events. Attempts have been made to control the damage caused to gay/police liaison.

At the very least the charges must be dropped. But this will not help instil trust in the police force. A large number of cases have taken place where police constables ignored pleas for help from bashed gay people. A huge spate of raids on beats has been taking place all over Sydney.........

Nobody is going to convince us that the police hierarchy loves us while the trouble is caused by a few errant junior constables. Nor are we going to swallow the line that the problem is restricted to Kings Cross. These tactics have been used too often to hold water anymore. The same claim has been made in relation to the killing of Gundy, the shooting of Darren Brennan...

Raids on beats have taken place in Manly, Eastwood, George's Hall, Deepwater, Liverpool, St.Mary's, Mt Druitt, Blacktown, Penrith and Bass Hill. Are we to feel gratified that the Surry Hills police are better?

"...When I see an actual flesh-and-blood worker in conflict with his natural enemy, the policeman, I do not have to ask myself which side I am on."

Gay men and lesbians have been active in the anti-Gulf War campaign. Rallies and marches were held on three occasions, Oct 20, Sept 1 and Sept 22. Enola Gay organised a gay and lesbian contingent each time. While attendance has dropped from rally to rally, we have kept up a strong presence, marching behind the Enola Gay and Gay Solidarity banners. Gay Solidarity Group has also joined the Bring The Frigates Home Coalition.

The conference was held over the long weekend 28 Sept - 2 Oct. Around 1000 socialists of various hews gathered to debate experiences of the past and to work out what the future holds for socialism. The politics of sexuality was not well covered and it was unfortunate that Pat Brewer from the DSP had a go at lesbian bashing. A very successful workshop was held on the politics of AIDS.

On the 6 Oct around a 100 people gathered to march in Redfern to commemorate the death of John Pat in custody. Gay Solidarity was one of the very few organised groups to participate.

Also on Oct 6 ACT UP held a low-key protest march against the pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb demanding wider access to the antiviral drug DDI. Agreement was reached soon afterwards.

100 people gathered outside Long Bay Jail on Oct 7 to protest against the Greiner Government's brutal and inhumane prisons policy of depriving prisoners of all private property. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence exorcised the prison. Sister Venus de Lilo castigated the churches for keeping silent over this criminal policy.

On Oct 25 around 40 people picketed the Israeli Consulate in Sydney. Palestinian, ISO, Solidarity, GSG and Bring the Frigates Home Coalition activists were protesting the massacre of Palestinians on Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

A Jewish GSG/Solidarity activist carried a banner written in Hebrew which read:

Among the thousands who thronged outside the Opera House to greet Nelson Mandela was a group of GSG activists carrying a large pink triangle flag. Other gay and lesbian activists were among the members of the Solidarity Choir.

It is deplorable, however, that Mandela did not reciprocate the solidarity shown to the South African people over the years by speaking out against the gross injustices suffered by the Aboriginal peoples.

COUNTER AID was seized as a great opportunity for AIDS organisations to reach a wide public. This, however, did not change the fact that Counter-Aid managed to avoid mention of gay men and lesbians and the fact that their role as the largest number of People with AIDS and carers of PWAs was also not mentioned.

ACT UP decided to redress the imbalance by holding a march demanding more money for AIDS. Titi Chartay addressed the people in Pitt St, Mall, drawing attention to the wide spectrum of PWAs - women, children, gay men, Aborigines, people who inject drugs... and pointed out that most of these are an "enbarrassment" to the mainstream media and society at large.

The ACT UP march highlighted the cynical use of AIDS by businesses to drum up business during an ailing Xmas season. An attempt by ACT UP to pass through the public access of Skygarden shopping centre was physically pushed back by Skygarden security men. A heavy wearing a CounterAid T-shirt stood by grinning.

To mark World AIDS Day GSG held a picket outside the Aeroflot office. 40 people protested in solidarity with Soviet gay men and lesbians. The KGB has attacked the members of the Moscow Union of Gay Men and Lesbians and has ransacked the office of their paper TEMA. The Soviet militia has also attacked gay men gathered in a bar in the city of Sochi. This is a continuation of Stalinist anti-homosexuality. Evidently glasnost does not extend to homosexuals.

Melbourne's monthly newsletter of gay and lesbian activism is available from PO Box 108 North Carlton VIC 3054 for $13 ($5 concession) for 1 yr.

GSG meets every month on the second Thursday at 8pm at the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre, opposite the station. Meetings are due: Thurs 10 Jan Thurs 14 Feb Thurs 14 Mar Thurs 11 April

CURRENT NEWSLETTER AND ARCHIVE OF PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS

Mannie has a personal web site: RED JOS: HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISM

Mannie's blogs may be accessed by clicking on to the following links:

MannieBlog (from 1 August 2003 to 31 December 2005)

Activist Kicks Backs - Blognow archive re-housed - 2005-2009

RED JOS BLOGSPOT (from January 2009 onwards)

This page updated 18 SEPTEMBER 2014 and again on 26 APRIL 2017

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