Remembrance

[Keith Webb]

Sadly our remembrance day was blighted by two lots of protesters - one was a trade union rally and the other a women against war protest at the Shrine of Remembrance.
The union leader likened themselves to veterans by suggesting they were at war with the government, which not surprisingly drew the ire of many both in the press and talkback radio.
I can't say I'm surprised the bystanders called the protesters a disgrace - to politicise or push their own message on a solemn remembrance service is an absolute disgrace and shows an unbelievable level of ignorance and disrespect.
At least a couple of the potential protesters recognised the true meaning of the occasion.

Here's a quote from today's Melbourne Age Newspaper:

" Nothing could overshadow Remembrance Day, not even a protest at the Shrine by Women for Peace, nor a CFMEU rally in Flinders Street.


The eight Women for Peace activists did not disrupt the service, but not long before 11am they chanted anti-war slogans, angering bystanders who lunged at them, shouting "you are a disgrace".


A scuffle broke out, with a policeman being punched in the stomach. Two protesters were arrested and are to be charged on summons with breach of peace, hindering police and other related charges.


The CFMEU's rally saw 10,000 people protest against the Howard Government's industrial policies - and pause for a moment's silence.


But not all unionists agreed with the rally's timing. Dave and Roy boycotted it to pay their respects at the Shrine. "We believe the day's all about the guys that actually fought for this country - not union muscle," Dave said. "If those guys didn't put their life on the line for us, there would be no union."


RSL president Major-General David McLachlan said the CFMEU was disrespectful for protesting yesterday, but "if they all bought a poppy and observed the silence, then maybe it was a good outcome".


He stopped short of condemning the union, saying November 11 was a reminder of the fundamental right of all Australians to protest if they wished. "That's one of the tenets of the freedom of our society that the people we are remembering died for," he said.


Federal Workplace Minister Kevin Andrews called the rally offensive and said that Remembrance Day "should not be politicised".


But Victoria's Trades Hall Council secretary Leigh Hubbard pointed out that Remembrance Day also commemorated the dismissal of the Labor government of Gough Whitlam in 1975 and was, accordingly, an appropriate day of protest for the labour movement. "