Students leave school to attend protest march

Hundreds of school students shouting anti-war slogans have marched through the streets of Sydney.

"The students started their protest in Belmore Park, before marching through the centre of Sydney.

"There was a heavy police presence escorting the march, and so far there has been no incidence of violence.

"The students are marching in defiance of warnings from police, the New South Wales Government and Education Department, who told them not to leave their classrooms without permission.

"The teenagers are asking for troops to be pulled out of Iraq, a change of Government in the US and Australia and action on climate change.

"Similar protests were also happening in other Australian cities.

"In Brisbane, about 100 students took the day off school to join a noisy protest march through Brisbane.

"They chanted 'Go home Bush', beat drums and brandished placards describing the US President as a terrorist.

"Similar protests were also taking place in Melbourne, Adelaide, Geelong and Wollongong."
ABC News

On Friday and Saturday I will be participating the the Ghost Dance, a demonstration at APEC 07. Various government and police spokespeople have lately been quite strident in their warnings that violence is expected in APEC protests. As a Ghost Dance organizer, I want to make it perfectly clear that our protest is based on the principle of satyagraha, a philosophy and practice of nonviolent resistance developed by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi). As I am opposed to violence, it's my intention to follow the principle of satyagraha in bearing witness to my opposition to many of the things symbolized by the APEC meetings. It is against my principles to raise my hand against any person. If I find it necessary to practice civil disobedience, this will be done in a totally non-violent way.

A page to bookmark for latest news from APEC 07 in Sydney

Categories: action, activism, demonstrations