SP Newsletter No.278
In early August, 400 Australian Federal Police (AFP), Victorian Police and ASIO officers raided 19 properties across Victoria. Heavily armed special operations officers entered multiple properties in the northern suburbs of Melbourne and the rural area of Colac.

The police seized goods including computers, bins and a car. Five men were arrested and have been charged with terrorism-related offences including ‘conspiracy’. The police allege they were planning to attack a Sydney army base.

While the media have had a field day reporting on this so-called ‘foiled terrorist plot’, no weapons have been found and no concrete evidence has been brought forward to substantiate the allegations that they were planning an attack.

What is clear, though, is that the police raid was intended to be very public. The Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity, among others, have been forced to look into why news of the operation was published in The Australian newspaper up to three hours before the raids began.

This is not the first time that the police have charged people using the anti-terror laws despite a lack of evidence. In 2007, Dr. Mohamed Haneef was held in detention for 12 days without charge, and eventually accused of providing support to a terrorist organisation. While the Government and the media condemned him as a terrorist and whipped up anti-Muslim hysteria, the bogus charges were eventually thrown out of court.

On this occasion Kevin Rudd explained why the terror laws have been used so dramatically. Despite the arrested men being of Somali and Lebanese origin and having no suggested links to Afghanistan, Rudd’s response was to state that “Afghanistan cannot be surrendered as a training base of unlimited potential to terrorists as it was prior to 2001”.

The police allege that the men are supporters of Al Shabaab, an Islamic group from Somalia. This group is not designated as a terrorist organisation in Australia. Nevertheless, in an attempt to use the event to justify the unpopular war in Afghanistan, Rudd reiterated that “if we are to deal with the threat of terrorism at its various levels we must be dealing with where the terrorists are training, we must be dealing with those who support them”.

As well as using the raids to bolster support for the Afghanistan intervention, Rudd has used the opportunity to introduce changes to the anti-terror legislation. Despite the monumental disregard for civil liberties contained in the laws, the Labor Party now wants to make the legislation even more draconian.

Just days after the raids, the Government released a new 452-page report declaring the need to increase state powers. This includes expanding the definition of terrorism to include acts causing only ‘psychological harm’. The discussion paper also argues for further powers to enter properties without a warrant if it is suspected there is “a thing” on the premises that is considered relevant to an investigation.

The definition of terrorism in the legislation already includes ‘seditious intention’ and the act of urging someone to ‘attempt, otherwise than by lawful means, to procure a change to any matter established by law’. The legislation stifles free speech and places barriers on groups engaging in legitimate dissent.

The laws are designed so that they can be used against any group that is advocating for political change. While they are being used against Muslims today, they will be used against trade unions, political parties and other organisations that oppose the government’s policies in the future. It is for these reasons that we must oppose further expansion of the anti-terror legislation and campaign for the laws to be totally repealed.

Upcoming SP meetings

The Melbourne Branch of the Socialist Party meets every Wednesday 7pm at Trades Hall on the corner of Lygon & Victoria Streets Carlton South. Upcoming meetings include:

9/9/09 – Is the press really free? A socialist view of the capitalist media
16/9/09 - Politics and protest music – Musicians that have influenced change
23/9/09 – The role of socialists in the trade unions
7/10/09 – The 1905 Russian Revolution – Lessons for today

For more information or for details of meetings in other parts of Australia contact our National Office on 03 9639 9111.

SP National Conference public event – The crisis facing world capitalism

The Socialist Party will be holding its National Conference on October 2/3 at Trades Hall in Melbourne. At 7pm on Friday October 2 we will host a public meeting titled ‘The crisis facing world capitalism’.

The meeting will discuss the economic crisis and the effects it is having across the world. It will also outline a way forward to ensure that workers and young people are not forced to pay for a crisis they didn’t create. We encourage all of our supporters to come along and contribute to this important discussion.

News links:

Regional and local elections in Germany
http://socialistworld.net/eng/2009/09/0201.html

Nigeria: Niger Delta - An amnesty doomed to failure
http://socialistworld.net/eng/2009/09/0101.html

US: Healthcare debate
http://socialistworld.net/eng/2009/08/2801.html

Join the Socialist Party

If you agree with what you have read in our newsletter or on our website you should consider joining SP. The Socialist Party has branches in Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle and Perth as well as members and supporters in all other states.

We are involved in trade union work and student work. We also run community, anti-war and environmental campaigns. But most of all we want to build a party that will fight to get rid of the capitalist system, the system that is at the root of all of these problems. We fight for socialism - a system that will bring an end to wars, poverty and environmental destruction. To join SP contact our National Office on 03 9639 9111 and we will send you a membership application form.

Subscribe to ‘The Socialist’ newspaper!

Support the Socialist Party by subscribing to our monthly newspaper ‘The Socialist’. Subscription rates are only $10 per year or $20 solidarity price. You will receive 11 copies per year delivered to your door every month. You will also receive our email newsletter every week and you will know that you are supporting an organisation that is at the fore of fighting against the capitalist system. To subscribe to ‘The Socialist’ contact our National Office on 03 9639 9111 and we will send you a subscription form.

Socialist Party contact details

Melbourne: Phone Anthony on 0396399111.
Sydney: Phone Gary on 0297287727.
Newcastle: Phone Samantha on 0249681545.
Perth: Phone John on 0894020728.
Rest of Australia: Phone our National Office on 0396399111.
Rest of the world: Phone our International Office on ++ 44 20 8988 8760.

The Socialist Party is the Australian section of the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI). The CWI is organised in over 40 countries across the world.

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