General DLF Campaign Overview

Thousands of supporters around Australia were involved in some capacity. The DLF Signal and Telegram channels hit the airwaves in earnest 6 months prior to the event. They were hotbeds of discussion, ideas, analyses, different foci, varying political persuasions, ideologies and modus operandi. The Core Organising Group (COG) in their experience and wisdom arrived at an overarching position of devolution (Cf: Collaborative Structure diagram), based on two rules: 1. Do no harm to Life 2. Respect other activists, plus the invitation to uphold the philosophy and practice of nonviolent direct action. Unlike a power structure COG depended on mutual trust, consensus decision making and individual integrity. It resulted in a collective effort that was ambitious, creative, effective and above all courageous. It sought ‘…to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored.’ (Google References to nonviolent direct action as espoused by Martin Luther King Jr).

Protesters knew they faced heavy scrutiny by the police and that all campaign media platforms were under surveillance. The entire Melbourne Convention Centre (MECC) was out of bounds due to impenetrable policing and physical barriers. In keeping with the collaborative model, protest actions were crafted to be small, disparate, dispersed and where possible synchronized. Unlike the advertised street events and larger rallies outside weapons company offices in the city, details of these actions were on a need-to-know basis only. This was to enhance the element of surprise and effectiveness and perhaps, even more importantly, the security and anonymity of activists. Each action pod devised its own purpose, tactics, and safety plan, and was recommended to have at least one observer, a “medic”, media spokesperson, and a person with sufficient legal understanding who could also liaise with the police. Participants could join any pod of their choice, and were welcomed accordingly. Fittingly, the Seafarer’s Mission Hall became a safe harbour for activists. A space to return to, to debrief, rest, replenish themselves with good food in preparation and regroup for another action, another day.

Quaker Offering

Within this collaborative framework we sought to bring a tangible Quaker presence, by offering to hold three intentional 30-minute periods of silence in the manner of Friends, onsite at the MECC. This was achieved beyond all expectation. Six VRM Friends joined me over the 3 days, Wage Peace stalwarts Margie Pestorius and Miriam Torillizo, Lee Rhianon retired Greens Senator, now speaking and making documentaries on the Palestinian genocide, a collection of more senior, seasoned activists from around Australia and more than hoped for younger activists. In post DLF evaluation sessions people spoke of their appreciation of this Quaker contribution. For many it was the first time they had engaged in and experienced the potency of silent protest. On our last day we were joined for the last 5 minutes by David Shoebridge, a Greens Senator who, when we rose from the circle of silence to conduct an interview with the waiting media, acknowledged the global peace efforts of Quakers. He was, to my knowledge, the only member of Parliament prepared to speak out against the weapons expo and the excessive, uncalled for police violence, alongside the voice of a Greens Local Councillor.

Thus, it was, that the protest space we set out to hold in the Light was filled with unprecedented numbers of police, variously clad in riot gear, armed with batons, capsicum/pepper spray, rubber bullets, tear gas, and mounted on horses. The atmosphere was tense and menacing, the police primed for violence. The Land Forces event is merely one strand in the expanding web of the Military Industrial Complex, which feeds into and off conflicts worldwide and pays dividends for weapons dealers. This awareness is what drives many of the DLF participants to protest, to disrupt, to stop ‘business as usual’. At times, tactics adopted are not what we as Quakers would accept. Despite that, and sometimes because of that, I feel led to stand and hold that space, especially alongside those younger generations who bear the brunt of police violence, who often put their university, career and employment opportunities and their physical and mental wellbeing on the line.