People Before Profits

By a comrade present

The global May Day events by workers the world over stand for the rights of the people to determine their own destiny as workers or students, it also stands against Corporations and Government standing over working families struggling to make a living. To demonstrate our support for a fair go for Australian workers, some local National-Anarchists decided to mobilise in the Melbourne CBD and join the planned march.

We had discussed our aims and tactics a week or so previous to the date of action and comrades were designated tasks. Our banner was designed and made with the help of a local fabric business and read “People Before Profits,” the people are more than worker bee’s or economic beings, we have an identity and spirit much deeper than our careers or petty consumerism.

Once the day arrived, we met at a designated location with time before the march to discuss in more detail what our “plan of action” would be. The conversation became more casual as we waited for the neo-Communist and Unionist groups to begin their march from Trades Hall. Our main goal was to make a presence representing National-Anarchist ideas in support of struggling working folk, our secondary aim fell in line with the Strategy of Tension; showing the traditional Left that they no longer had a monopoly on their sacred May Day and we have as much a right as they do to march.

As 2pm came we heard the drums and chants of the roughly 400 Unionists and Communists; we dressed in our National-Anarchist uniforms, prepared our banner and waited for the right time to join the march. As the last of the marchers passed us, we entered Swanston St in single file and held our banner up for all to see.

As we entered in behind the marchers, two mounted police officers asked what our intentions were and why our faces were covered; our designated police liaison explained that we cover our faces to protect us from the persecution of the other political groups and our intentions was to hold a peaceful march like everyone else. The police seemed to have no dispute in us expressing our right to protest and we continued on ahead.

We continued to march down Swanston behind a “Your Rights at Work” van that held the rear of the Unionist contingent. We flew the banner of National-Anarchism for all passersby to see. We were the targets of many photographs from intrigued pedestrians and we received some positive feedback about our slogan. It is a definite that the New Right Aus/NZ website received some extra hits later in the day.

It was at this time that Anthony Main from the UNITE union noticed our presence and suddenly got all angry at us being around. He went and exercised his civic duty of informing the police [of the Government, which he hates?] that we have no right to march on a public street in Melbourne and that they need to move us on. He then made it his business to begin abusing our cameraman, trying to get in his face, spitting his venomous hatred as later described by our camera wielding comrade. Anthony came across as a very angry and hateful man, threatening us with the “construction heavies” further up, he reckons they’d come down and “give us a hiding.” Why not do it yourself, big man?

Despite the aggressive abuse from Main, our determined activists kept on marching; we would not bow to the demands of some angry, egotistical leftist. Despite the peaceful marching from our group, in contrast to the abusive demeanor of our opposition, it was the police that instructed us to leave. We accepted the lawful request from the police; we left the marching column and honourably left the scene, having achieved both of our aims for the day.

We moved to another location to take more photos of our banner and we discussed the previous half hour of excitement. The National-Anarchists had once again taken our message to the street and once again, as at APEC, we had exposed the hypocrisy of the so-called left. The left has since the beginning labeled any group critical of their own as intolerant, fascist and hateful, yet we exposed quite plainly the insidious hatred behind the average leftist.

During our debrief and photo taking session, some young passersby asked us what we were about and were quick to join us for a group photo in support, perhaps the next lot of National-Anarchist recruits for the next demonstration.

Soon enough our objectives were complete, the group left in separate directions and a good day of National-Anarchist activism was had by all.