(15-02-2026)
ALP members must support these rebel MPs and force a repeal of these anti-democratic protest laws. The South Coast Labour Council posted a call by the President of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, Timothy Roberts:
“We call on the Labor caucus to either bring this Premier to heel or turf him out.”
How the NSW Left will square this circle remains to be seen, but ALP activists must make it increasingly difficult for the NSW Government to carry on like this. An open rebellion is required.
The article also has a section critisising the Palestine Action Group's organisation of protests, as well as some socialist groups seeking to fill the gap:
The high political stakes of this demonstration demanded discipline, democratic transparency and collective planning; instead, the rally drifted.
4 Comments
maniacalmanicmania@aussie.zone · 3 pts · 193d
Nothing like a bit of punching down to remind comrades in the Labor party who the real enemy is.
MisterFrog@aussie.zone · 3 pts · 193d
I largely thought the rest of the article was agreeable and well-written, but this was an out of place partisan jab without any elaboration.
I'm not a member of either Solidarity or Socialist Alternative (though I know a number of them), but it seems an odd jab considering the Labor party hasn't really listen to the membership in years, or been part of building any mass movement in decades, and is drifting further to the right. The Labor party leadership has plainly shown what they think of mass movements nowadays. They want you to shut up, and use police powers against you to boot.
Both mentioned orgs do use these events as active recruitment opportunities, and why shouldn't they? That's exactly how you build a mass movement. Talking to people, making connections, and getting them along to the next event. Their organising (and recruitment) in addition to many other non-socialist groups, is how tens of thousands of people were mobilised around Australia last week.
Labor members absolutely should back rebel Labor MPs in this context, but really, the party has been a misnomer for decade. Leftist Labor party members ought to leave and join other parties who don't support genocide. We have preferential voting in this country, there's no excuse really.
In conclusion: recruitment isn't some dirty activity
eureka@aussie.zone · 3 pts · 193d
Exactly. Like you, I'm also not a member of either but I have mutual friends and have made and effort to talk to many different orgs at events and been to a few of org events. And because of that, I can see that these socialist orgs aren't some external entity - take ABC's live coverage updates, at a glance already we can see one of the main speakers, Josh Lees, a SAlt member, and one of the people being arrested by police is a Solidarity member, with at least two other members visible in the photo at the front line. At other protests, like the March for Australia counter-protests, it's common to see speakers such as Ian Rintoul (spokeman for Refugee Action Coalition Sydney, and a founding member of Solidarity) and Shovan Bhattarai (Socialist Alternative, Students for Palestine). Same with the ZIM shipping protests at Port Botany, many of those arrested were SAlt and Solidarity and even CPA, this news footage shows plenty of them and even a Solidarity magazine is shown.
These socialist groups are a real part of the forefront of the movement, and they are not distinct from the major groups involved (Josh Lees is a PAG organiser, I know a few CPA and Solidarity members in the MUA who were instrumental in making sure Sydney's ZIM protest was alongside and not against port workers, ensuring workers were aware they still get paid if they can't make it to their shift due to a road blockage).
So, yes, like you said, their organising and recruitment, in addition to many other non-socialist groups, is how tens of thousands of people were mobilised around Australia, and every other major pro-Palestine protest we've seen.
jaek@aussie.zone · 1 pts · 192d
The level of cognitive dissonance is this article is just off the charts.
News flash ALP stooges, your party hates you. And judging by the reception that the "Labor friends of Palestine" speaker got at the rally, everyone else hates you too.