iww commemmoration on anzac day2006 : Melbourne Indymedia

For last years IWW commemoration and some background see the following link. We met outside the old IWW (Industrial Workers' of the World) HQ in Lt Bourke St at 10am Anzac Day.

The first Anzac Day took place in 1916 and was part of the build up to the 1916 conscription referendum which the IWW played a major part in defeating. The aim of the referendum was to raise a conscript force equal in size to the volunteer force and other Allied forces used conscripts freely in the front line. There is no reason at all to suppose Australia would have treated its conscripts differently, quite the contrary. So the IWW probably at least halved the total number of Australina casualties, that is saved 60,000 Australian lives and many thousands more from maiming and other serious injury.

http://www.melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2005/04/91104.php

This year we had altogether ten people, which is down on last year. I for one had put in less effort publicizing it. But we still had a war tree based on the famous IWW cartoon, (I hope a copy of it is uploaded with this item but the program seems to be playing up).

The even was fun, with much useful discussion, and an interesting visit from the police Security Intelligence Group. But it does need to be bigger, and I would like to see a steering group for next year.

_jeremy