Students strike back against Hanson, again

On the 17th of September, students went on strike once again against Pauline Hanson.

University of Wollongong (UOW) students gathered in front of UOW Library at 12:30pm to take the bus together to Crown St where the strike was being held.

Students chanted and marched their way to the Crown St Amphitheatre where everyone was gathering. Those who gathered included high schoolers from various local schools and members of the public.

The rally officially began around 1:30pm, chaired by Wollongong Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA) Ethno-Cultural Representative Tidus Funaki.

Speeches were kicked off by not-so-local high schoolers coming all the way out from Nowra speaking on the importance of young people standing up against Hanson.

“She [Pauline Hanson] claims that she wants to do better for our youth,” the high schooler from Nowra said.

“She is ruining our future and it is appalling that she does not see that.

“We will not sit still or stay quiet as this fascist racist homophobic right-wing government threatens the Australian youths’ futures.”

A UOW Socialist Alternative member Merinda Matthews took the stage to denounce Pauline Hanson’s many policies and disinformation.

“Hanson takes the legitimate anger of working class people and points it in entirely the wrong direction,” she said.

“She tells workers worried about housing to blame migrants.

“She tells people angry about government spending to blame Indigenous Australians.

“She tells people frightened about their future to blame Muslims and refugees.”

She went on to explain how Hanson is a part of a broader far-right movement that has already normalised right-wing politics. Despite facing such strong opposition from capitalists and the systems that benefit them and disadvantage workers, Merinda shared a message of hope with everyone.

“We are not powerless, we are the overwhelming majority,” she said.

“When we stand together, we have power no ruling class can match.

“We have the power to tear the system down and we have the power to build something better in its place.”

WUSA Environment Representative Antonios Tzamouranis took the stand to reaffirm the strength of the crowd and make clear what everyone is standing against.

“We’ve all gathered here because we know what Pauline Hanson stands for,” he said.

“She’s not a person that can be negotiated or reasoned with or shamed into decency.

“We’re here to show what we stand against.

“We’re not here to debate or question what Pauline Hanson has demonstrated to us in 30 years of Australian politics.”

At the last student strike against Hanson, a One Nation party member heckled the crowd of high schoolers and university students gathered outside of UOW Library. He was demanding the young people attending the rally debate him.

WUSA Education Officer Simon Upitis spoke and criticised the parties in parliament that are unable or unwilling to fight back against the far-right.

“We can’t rely on Labor or the Greens or any party that just wants a nicer version of capitalism,” he said.

“What we need is to look to our strengths.

“That’s our radical politics, that’s the protest movements in the streets, it’s the people power that we have, it’s our unions using our power to fight back against the far-right to say you’re not welcome here and we’re not gonna allow you to get here.”

After speeches wrapped up, the rally began to march around the block, beginning from the Crown St Amphitheatre where they were gathered and heading to Keira St, turning left onto Burelli St, left again on Kembla St, and left again back onto Crown St towards where they began.

The march blocked traffic for a short while in the middle of the day and chants were repeated all around the block.