GreenLeft Weekly Activist Calendar18-11-15

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Activist Calendar, November 18

Film screening: Life Is Waiting: Referendum and Resistance in Western Sahara Wednesday, November 18, 6:30pm (meal from 6pm).  In the territory of Western Sahara, the end of European rule gave way to a new occupation, this time by Morocco. Forty years later, the world continues to look the other way as the Sahrawi people face arrests, torture, and disappearances for demanding their independence.Life Is Waiting, a new film by director Iara Lee, chronicles this struggle. What will it take for the people of Western Sahara to reverse decades of broken promises and gain their freedom? What lessons does Sahrawi resistance offer for nonviolent movements around the world? Film followed by Q&A. $12 solidarity/$10 full/ $5 conc. Resistance Centre, Level 5, 407 Swanston St, City (opposite RMIT). Organising meeting: Community need not developer greed: Re-elect Sue Bolton in 2016 Saturday, November 21, 2pm. The election of Socialist Alliance councillor Sue Bolton in October 2012 was an important step forward for the left in Melbourne. Over these last three years Sue has been a tireless advocate and campaigner for progressive issues on council. If you value Sue's presence on council and want to get involved in her re-election campaign (for the October 2016 elections) then come along (you don't have to live in Moreland). Anatolian Cultural Centre, 195 Sydney Road, Coburg (100 metres south of Reynard Street). Rally: Stop the forced closure of Aboriginal communities Friday, November 27, 3:30pm. People living on the Land of the Kulin Nations will stand in solidarity with WA & rally in support on this day, whilst also speaking out on genocide and related issues. State Library, cnr Latrobe & Swanston Sts, City. For more info Viv 0447 401 947 Organised by First Nations Liberation. Rally: People's Climate March Friday, November 27, 5:30pm. As our world leaders meet in Paris for the United Nations climate summit, we will gather in Australian cities and walk alongside millions of people in hundreds of major cities around the world. By coming together we are demonstrating that our political leaders are out of step with the Australian community and the rest of the world. We are marching because we want a just transition to 100% clean energy and an end to fossil fuels. State Library, cnr La Trobe & Swanston Sts, City.

This is the regular Melbourne activist calendar compiled by Green Left Weekly. Emailed to subscribers each Wednesday fortnight, it is a one-stop listing of the main left and progressive events in Melbourne and Geelong. Since it began in early 1991, Green Left Weekly has offered an indispensable alternative to the lies of the big-business media and has helped build the various movements for social change. To subscribe to Green Left Weekly, visit our secure online website for rates and payment or call our national hotline on 1800 634 206. You can also contact us at the Resistance Centre, 5th floor, 407 Swanston St, City; ph 9639 8622. In Geelong we are at the Activist Centre, Trades Hall, 127 Myers St (opening hours: Mon 2-4:30pm, Fri 10am-4:30pm); ph 5222 6900. New email address? Not already receiving this calendar regularly? Want to subscribe someone else? Let us know at Greenleft Melbourne.

Wednesday, November 18 Film screening: Life Is Waiting: Referendum and Resistance in Western Sahara.In the territory of Western Sahara, the end of European rule gave way to a new occupation, this time by Morocco. Forty years later, the world continues to look the other way as the Sahrawi people face arrests, torture, and disappearances for demanding their independence. Life Is Waiting, a new film by director Iara Lee, chronicles this struggle. What will it take for the people of Western Sahara to reverse decades of broken promises and gain their freedom? What lessons does Sahrawi resistance offer for nonviolent movements around the world? Film followed by Q&A. Meal from 6pm, film 6:30pm. $12 solidarity/$10 full/ $5 conc. Resistance Centre, Level 5, 407 Swanston St, City (opposite RMIT). Thursday, November 19 Public meeting: No New Coal Mines. A public talk with the president of Kiribati & guests. Put simply, if Australia succeeds in its plans to double its coal exports, the world's plans to tackle global warming will fail. Anote Tong, President of Kiribati, has stopped in Australia en-route to Paris COP21 to make a final call for a global moratorium on new coal mines, discuss the need for urgent action at the climate talks, what success could look like, and the very real consequences for our Pacific Island neighbours and our global community if we don't. 6:30pm. Elisabeth Murdoch Theatre A, University of Melbourne. Bookings Public meeting: Indigenous and popular struggles in Aotearoa and Brazil. Solidarity gathering with prominent activists from Aotearoa and the Landless movement of Brazil. Speakers: Kewana Duncan (Maori activist), Marcos Araujo (Brazil). 7pm. Hot Shot Cafe, 16-20 Buckley St, Footscray. Food available. Organised by LASNET. Friday, November 20 - Sunday, November 22 Palestine film festival. Showcasing the very best of Palestinian cinema from around the globe, the festival presents an exciting opportunity to see and feel the energy, diversity and creativity of Palestine through film. Kino Cinema, 45 Collins St, City. Bookings Saturday, November 21 Rally: Say No to the cashless welfare debit card; Say No to cuts to family payment. The senate has passed a bill authorising a trial of the 'cashless welfare card' in Ceduna (SA). The card will be trialled in three communities. These trials will disproportionately affect Aboriginal people living in these communities. Unemployed people forced to use the Healthy Welfare Card will have 80% of their payments 'quarantined' and will not be able to access this money in cash form, only through a debit card. This money is also unable to be used on alcohol. We demand: No racist welfare policies; Stop the cashless welfare card; No more cuts to family payments; Raise all Centrelink payments: say no to poverty. 12 noon. State Library, 328 Swanston St, City. Organising meeting: Community need not developer greed: Re-elect Sue Bolton in 2016. The election of Socialist Alliance councillor Sue Bolton in October 2012 was an important step forward for the left in Melbourne. Over these last three years Sue has been a tireless advocate and campaigner for progressive issues on council. If you value Sue's presence on council and want to get involved in her re-election campaign (for the October 2016 elections) then come along (you don't have to live in Moreland). 2pm. Anatolian Cultural Centre, 195 Sydney Road, Coburg (100 metres south of Reynard Street).  Sunday, November 22 Rally: Against Reclaim Australia! Say No to racism! 10am. Melton City Council, 232 High St, Melton. Fundraiser: Sea Shepherd Ocean Defence Tour. Live music, delicious food, fun activities for the whole family, as well as a very special guest, Captain Peter Hammarstedt! All the funds raised on the day will go towards Sea Shepherd's amazing work. Sea Shepherd is a not-for-profit conservation organisation, whose mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans. 11am. $13.40 per person (children under 12 are free).  Seaworks Maritime Precinct, 82 Nelson Place, Williamstown. Bookings Fundraiser: 'Tales of a City by the Sea' National Tour Fundraiser. A unique and poetic journey into the lives of ordinary people in the besieged Gaza strip prior to, during and after its bombardment during the winter of 2008. Join us on the rooftop of the Arcadia Hotel and help bring Tales of a City by the Sea to six Australian cities in 2016. Enjoy a BBQ, experience live Arabic music, watch some amazing performances, meet the cast and crew, and dance the night away! 6pm. $45. Arcadia Hotel roof top, 2 Toorak Road, South Yarra  (corner of Punt and Toorak Rd). Bookings Concert: Ezekiel Ox. Long-term singer-songwriter and activist for social justice. He has a reputation for energetic live performances across Australia, the United States and Britain with bands such as Full Scale, Mammal and Over Reactor. Ox is an artist who puts ideas into practice, founding Musicians Against Police Violence, organising actions and fundraisers to fight racism and regularly MCing and leading chants at demonstrations. 8pm. The Tote, 71 Johnston St, Collingwood. Tuesday, November 24 Vigil: 3rd anniversary of Tazreen Fashions murders. Gather to mourn the murdered Tazreen Fashions workers. There won't be speeches, just a quiet time to remember and reflect on the true cost of cheap clothing. Mourn the Dead, Fight for the Living. 5pm. 8-Hour Monument opposite the Victorian Trades Hall Council Building, 54 Victoria St, Carlton South. Organised by Australia Bangladesh Solidarity Network. Public meeting: Community perspectives on art & peace. Panel discussion to accompany the exhibition: War or Peace? Love or Violence? by William Kelly (open to November 29, MARS Gallery, 7 James Street, Windsor). Chaired by Hugh de Kretser (Human Rights Law Centre), with Tracee Hutchison (CEO Human Rights Arts Film Festival), Juris Greste (family spokesperson for release of journalist Peter Greste from goal in Egypt), Dr. Jenny Grounds (past president, the Medical Association for the Prevention of War) and William Kelly (artist & activist). 6pm. 7 James St, Windsor.Bookings: Email Claire or 9521 7517. Wednesday, November 25 Film screening: The Look of Silence. Joshua Oppenheimer’s award-winning documentary about the 1965 Indonesian massacres. 6:45pm. Cinema Nova, 380 Lygon St, Carlton. All proceeds go towards the 2016 Human Rights Arts & Film Festival. Bookings Public meeting: Voices from Palestine. Life and Resistance in Palestine today. Young Palestinians who have lived their entire life under Israeli occupation and apartheid are currently taking to the streets in collective resistance to Israel's ongoing ethnic cleansing, human rights abuses and military occupation. Featuring link ups from the Occupied West Bank & featuring Noura Mansour (Palestinian activist and educator). 7pm. Meeting Room 1, Victoria Trades Hall, 54 Victoria St, Carlton South.Entry by gold coin donation. Thursday, November 26 Film screening: Freedom Stories. Hobsons Bay Refugee Network & West Welcome Wagon Film Fundraiser. Q&A with director Steve Thomas to follow. 6:30pm (for 7pm start). $22. Sun Theatre, 8 Ballarat St, Yarraville. Bookings Film screening: This Changes Everything. An epic attempt to re-imagine the vast challenge of climate change. Directed by Avi Lewis, and inspired by Naomi Klein’s international non-fiction bestseller This Changes Everything, the film presents seven powerful portraits of communities on the front lines, from Montana’s Powder River Basin to the Alberta Tar Sands, from the coast of South India to Beijing and beyond. Interwoven with these stories of struggle is Klein’s narration, connecting the carbon in the air with the economic system that put it there. Throughout the film, Klein builds to her most controversial and exciting idea: that we can seize the existential crisis of climate change to transform our failed economic system into something radically better. $10. There are only 60 tickets for the film so to guarantee your seat, book online. 7:30pm. New International Book Shop, 54 Victoria St, Carlton. Bookings Friday, November 27 Rally: Stop the forced closure of Aboriginal communities. People living on the Land of the Kulin Nations will stand in solidarity with WA & rally in support on this day, whilst also speaking out on genocide and related issues. 3:30pm. State Library, cnr Latrobe & Swanston Sts, City. For more info Viv 0447 401 947 Organised by First Nations Liberation. Rally: People's Climate March. As our world leaders meet in Paris for the United Nations climate summit, we will gather in Australian cities and walk alongside millions of people in hundreds of major cities around the world. By coming together we are demonstrating that our political leaders are out of step with the Australian community and the rest of the world. We are marching because we want a just transition to 100% clean energy and an end to fossil fuels. 5:30pm. State Library, cnr La Trobe & Swanston Sts, City. Saturday, November 28 Public meeting: Yanis Varoufakis in conversation with Mary Kostakidis. 11am.Athaneum Theatre, 188 Collins St, City. Bookings Public meeting: Ecosocialism workshop. Do we need to get rid of capitalism to save the planet? Is eco-socialism an alternative? 1pm. Resistance Centre, Level 5, 407 Swanston St, City (opposite RMIT). Organised by Green Left Weekly. For more info ph 9639 8622. Concert: Joe Hill 100 years: Roadshow with George Mann. A former union organizer and activist based in New York, George Mann sings songs from the last century of labour and social activism. His concerts are part sing-along, part history lesson, and he can make you shout for joy, send chills down your spine or bring tears to your eyes in the same set. 2pm. $15 solidarity, $10 full, $5 conc. Bella Union Bar, Trades Hall, Carlton. Bookings Public meeting: When is Australia racist? Questions of difference and fairness. With artist Abdul Abdullah, writer and comedian Nakkiah Lui, Aboriginal health expert Gregory Phillips and Gaysia author Benjamin Law, we’ll explore Australian equality on a number of fronts: representation, social support, sex and decision-making. Our panellists consider what it might take to achieve a culture that reflects a true picture of Australia back to itself – and what we’ll be losing if we don’t. 3pm. $35. Athenaeum Theatre, 188 Collins St, City. Bookings Fundraiser: 40th anniversary of Timorese independence celebration dinner. Annual AETA Dinner to commemorate the Anniversary of FRETILIN's Declaration of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste on November 28. 1975.  6pm. William Angliss Restaurant, 550 Little Lonsdale St, City. Bar (not BYO). $40/$30. Please contact AETA if you require a vegetarian meal. Organised by Australia-East Timor Association. For further information call 9416 2960 or email AETA. Wednesday, December 2 Film screening: The Grapes of Wrath. John Ford won the 1940 Oscar as best director for this brilliant screen adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel of an Oklahoma family, who, after losing their farm during the Great Depression in the 1930s, become migrant workers and end up in California. 10:45am. Cinema Nova, 380 Lygon St, Carlton. Bookings Concert: Rise Against. 'We scream for change and all they hear is treason' (Rise Against). They’re one of punk’s most exciting, politically social bands, renowned for energetic live shows and dizzying, larger than life anthems. 8pm. Margaret Court Arena, Richmond. Bookings Friday, December 4- Sunday, December 6 SYDNEY Conference: Radical Ideas. A conference for young people who are looking to build the politics of an alternative.A weekend of discussion and debate on how young people can best organise to build new politics for radically more democratic, equal and just future. It is a conference for socialist, feminist, environmentalist and anti-racist youth to come together and unite around the issues we care about. Resistance Activist Centre, 22 Mountain St, Ultimo, Sydney. Bookings Friday, December 4 - Sunday, December 13 Exhibition: West Papua art fundraiser. Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm. ACU Gallery, 26 Brunswick St, Fitzroy. Wednesday, December 9 Book launch: John Tully's 'Crooked Deals and Broken Treaties: How American Indians Were Displaced By White Settlers In The Cuyahoga Valley'. John Tully is the author of Silvertown: The Lost Story of a Strike that Shook London and Helped Launch the Modern Labor Movement and The Devil’s Milk: A Social History of Rubber, as well as three novels. 7pm. New International Bookshop, 54 Victoria St, Carlton South. Thursday, December 10 Public meeting: Dr Anita Heiss. This year's Human RIghts Oration. Anita is an Indigenous Literacy Day Ambassador and a proud member of the Wiradjuri nation of central NSW. Anita is the author of non-fiction, historical fiction, commercial women's fiction, poetry, social commentary and travel articles. She is a regular guest at writers' festivals and travels internationally performing her work and lecturing on Indigenous literature. 12.30-2pm. Entry free. Light lunch included. Fitzroy Ballroom, Hotel Sofitel, 25 Collins St, City. Rally: Refugee rights are human rights. 5:30pm. City Square. Organised by Refugee Action Collective. Film screening: International Human Rights Day. Featuring: 6pm. No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka. A film on Tamil Genocide. 7:30pm. Chile Human Rights Demands. 8:30pm. Iranian Struggles For Human Rights. 9:30pm. West Papuan Working For The Future. 10:00pm. Colombia Connection. New Council Chambers, Trades Hall, 54 Victoria St, Carlton South. Entry by donation. Traditional food, pop corn and soft drinks available. Organised by LASNET & Tamil Refugee Council.

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Friday, November 20 GEELONG Red Cinema: Beatriz's War. The first full-length feature film to be produced by East Timor. The film is taken from the story of Martin Guerre in 16th century France and transfers it to East Timor during the Indonesian occupation. 6:30pm. Trades Hall, 127 Myers St, Geelong. Presentd by Socialist Alliance. For more info ph 5222 6900. Friday, November 27 GEELONG Concert: Joe Hill 100 years: Roadshow with George Mann. A former union organizer and activist based in New York, USA, George Mann sings songs from the last century of labour and social activism. His concerts are part sing-along, part history lesson, and he can make you shout for joy, send chills down your spine or bring tears to your eyes in the same set. Join us for these songs and stories of Joe Hill, as well as plenty of other folk and labour songs. With Geelong Trdes Hall Choir. Appropriate for all ages, all welcome! 7pm. Trades Hall, 27 Myers St, Geelong.

Australians for Kurdistan. Meets regularly to build solidarity with the Kurdish freedom struggle in Rojava (liberated zone in northern Syria), Turkey and elsewhere. See Australians for Kurdistan. For campaign and open letter to have the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) removed from the Australian list of terrorist organisations see Lift the ban on the PKK. Meets on the first Thursday of each month. For information ph Gulay 0413 936 706 or Aran 0410 197 814. Australian Unemployment Union. The Australian Unemployment Union is an organisation by the unemployed, for the unemployed. Our mission is to protect the common interests of the 750,000+ Australians who are currently unemployed. For more information visit AUE or Facebook. Australian West Papua Association (AWPA). Struggles against the Indonesian occupation of West Papua and against environmental destruction and resource theft. For info 9510 2193 or email AWPA. Climate Action Moreland. Meets regularly to develop action on climate change in the Moreland area. For information ph Andrea on 0424 508 535 or email CAM. Friends of the Earth's Anti-Nuclear & Clean Energy (ACE) collective. Meets every second Tuesday. FoE office, 312 Smith St, Collingwood. For meeting times & more info email Zin. Indigenous Social Justice Association. The Indigenous Social Justice Association was established in January 2005 campaigns to permanently stop Aboriginal deaths in custody. During 2013, ISJA will meet the first Thursday of every month. For more info visit ISJA. Quit Coal: No New Coal Power for Victoria. A Melbourne-based collective which campaigns against expansion of the coal industry in Victoria. We believe this is important because building new coal infrastructure locks in decades of dirty, old technology, when we should be moving towards clean, renewable energy. Quit Coal meets each Wednesday at 6pm, at FOE, 312 Smith St, Collingwood. For more info visit Quit Coal or email us. Refugee Action Collective. Established in 2000, RAC is a democratic, grassroots activist collective, representing a broad cross section of the community. It aims to mobilise opposition to Australia's inhuman refugee policies. For more info ph 0413 377 978 or visit RAC. Timor Sea Justice Campaign. For info visit TSJC, email Tom Clarke or ph 0422 545 763. Victorian Climate Action Calendar. Online updates are available at http://vcac.org.au/calendar/.

Recent articles from Green Left Weekly 'These hellholes should be closed' Refugee Fazel Chegeni dead on Christmas Island Beirut and Paris: Two terror attacks with different tales 'Direct Action' will not deliver emissions reduction target Check out Green Left TV: See From Climate Change to Climate action: A talk by Simon Butler To subscribe to Green Left Weekly visit our secure online website for rates and payment or call our national hotline on 1800 634 206. Join us on Facebook. You can also contact us at the Resistance Centre, 5th floor, 407 Swanston St, City; ph 9639 8622. In Geelong: Activist Centre, Trades Hall, 127 Myers St (opening hours: Mon 2-4.30pm, Fri 10am-4.30pm); ph 5222 6900. Links: 'Socialism for the 21st century' Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal is a journal for the post-Cold War left; a journal that rejects the Stalinist distortion of the socialist project; a journal that takes into account ecological questions; a journal that is taking steps to bring together the forces for socialism in the world today; a journal that aspires to unite Marxists from different political traditions because it discusses openly and constructively. Linksseeks to promote the international exchange of information, experiences of struggle, theoretical analysis and views on strategies and tactics within the international left. The Spanish state versus Catalonia: a decisive battle has begun Portugal: 'Europe is very concerned' as new gov't likely short-lived YPG statement in reaction to Amnesty report Socialist Alliance: Broad, non-sectarian, activist Socialist Alliance is a proud supporter of the Green Left Weekly project and contributes a regular column. Socialist Alliance is a broad, non-sectarian socialist party, dedicated to bringing together all those who want to resist the capitalist assault on our planet and its people and fight for a socialist society that puts people's needs before business profits. Anyone who agrees with the general approach of our policies is welcome to join and organisations are invited to affiliate. For more information visit Socialist Alliance or join us on Facebook. See our recent statements: Your wars, our dead: Statement on latest terror attacks Tax the rich and abolish the GST Turnbull vs Abbott: Same shit, different shovel Contact Socialist Alliance. Join with other socialists in the struggle. Melbourne: Visit us at the Resistance Centre, 5th floor, 407 Swanston St, City; ph 9639 8622. In Melbourne, Socialist Alliance meets on the first Tuesday of each month, 6:30pm, at the Resistance Centre. Geelong: Activist Centre, Trades Hall, 127 Myers St (opening hours: Mon 2-4:30pm, Fri 10am-4:30pm); ph 5222 6900. Moreland Socialists Moreland Socialists is open to anyone (even if you live outside the area) who wants to work constructively to support Socialist Alliance councillor Sue Bolton and use her position to build up a stronger activist left presence in Moreland. In general, we meet monthly and alternate between Coburg and Fawkner. If you want to get involved in the group, email us at Socialist Alliance or phone Sue on 9639 8622 or 0413 377 978. For news and opinion visit Sue's Moreland Report or Facebook.

Resistance Bookshop Just out! The eruption of the brutal fundamentalist ‘Islamic State’ in the Middle East has placed the Kurdish people at the centre of the political stage.  The Rojava Revolution in northern Syria has attracted increasing interest and admiration around the world because of its unyielding resistance to the IS gangs, the heavy and unprecedented involvement of women in its defence forces and its attempt to build a people-centred society. Across the border in Turkey, the Democratic Freedom Party (HDP) and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) confront the racist, anti-Kurd war drive of the regime. This pamphlet concentrates on the Kurdish struggle in Rojava and Turkey. It aims to provide information and perspective on these tremendously important developments and, hopefully, furnish a basis for more active solidarity in Australia. By Dave Holmes, Tony Iltis & others.  44pp, $6. Available from Resistance Bookshop, Level 5, 407 Swanston St, City.