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There has been widespread opposition to Israel’s bombing of Gaza and Occupation of Palestine. This has included direct action in the UK (which we covered on episode 64), which has now spread to Australia and the US too. We’re joined by Sam Castro from the Whistle blowers, Activists and Citizens Alliance (WACA), who discusses the direct action they carried out with a bunch of other groups in Melbourne against Elbit systems, a company profiting from the bombing of Gaza. This is the action pictured in the image above and you can find more photos from the action here. Sam also discusses the importance of direct action and gives advice to others looking to take direct action. We encourage people to check out WACA’s site waca.net.au, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
Before we get into the interview, we discuss our new blog progressivepostings.wordpress.com, feedback on Nick’s article on Israel/Palestine, disputing the “can’t we all just get along?!”/“Kum Ba Yah” approach to Israel/Palestine, information from Jewish Voice for Peace, and links between Israel and South Africa, including an article from 1989 arguing that South Africa shouldn’t be singled out. We also introduce the new segment ‘Taking the “o no” out of ec-o-no-mics’, including government information revealing the Abbott government’s budget hits the poor the hardest, Joe Hockey’s apology, and the book Battlers and Billionaires by Andrew Leigh. Shout outs to Stic’s album The Workout as well as to the Melbourne Street Medic Collective for promoting our show at the Melbourne Anarchist Bookfair! Check out our 57th episode to hear Coggo from the Melbourne Street Medic Collective discuss their World Record Breaking protest, which they carried out with WACA and other groups.
This episode is brought to you by “Cashed Up Kathryn”. You can hear Kathryn’s great talk on social work and animals on Team Earthling podcast. Thanks a lot to Kathryn for becoming a member of our show – you can become a member and sponsor an episode too!
Clips:
WACA ‘Elbit Systems You Can’t Hide!’, Pink Floyd ‘Another Brick in the Wall’, Peep Show ‘Series 2, Episode 2’, South Park ‘Kumbayah’, Interview with Sam Castro from WACA – part 1, NOFX ‘The Marxist Brothers‘, CNNNN ‘Series 1, Episode 1’, The Guardian ‘Joe Hockey Sorry’, Interview with Sam Castro from WACA – part 2, Rage Against the Machine ‘Killing in the Name of’.
You can listen to a short (9 minute) version of this episode, which features a shortened version of our interview with Sam Castro, here: Direct Action for Palestine in Australia! You can subscribe to these short versions of our episodes through Omny.
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