(en) Australia, ANTI-ABORTION BIGOTS DEFEATED ON STREETS OF MELBOURNE

Today, a counter-mobilisation by an alliance of women?s and Left groups defeated the 
?March for the Babies?, the annual anti-abortion rally organised in Melbourne by a 
coalition of Catholic and Protestant zealots and Right wing politicians. ---- The ?March 
for the Babies? was first held in 2009, a reaction against the decriminalisation of 
abortion the previous year. At its height, it drew a crowd of 10,000 or more, but 
counter-mobilisations in the last few years have helped its decline. The anti-abortionists 
marched to Parliament House and rallied on the steps, using a massive sound system to 
drown out opposition from the Left counter-mobilisation. ---- This year, the 
counter-mobilisation did something different. There were about 300 of us, about 50% up 
from last year. Most were young and most were women.

The coppers set up some water barriers to keep about ten metres between us and the other 
mob. On the far side, the podium was waiting, complete with its massive sound system. We 
did the usual chants and speakers while we were waiting for the anti-abortionists to 
arrive and listened to a couple of impressive speeches from some very angry women until 
the podium crew of the anti-abortionists put some music on ? very loud. We were not amused 
and the feeling was obviously mutual.

At this point, the pro-choice counter-mobilisation marched away from Parliament House. Our 
scouts, as this author later learned, had reported that their numbers were well down on 
last year, which had in turn been a big drop on 2011. It was a very fast march indeed, 
because we were racing to intercept the other side. After a brief sit-down at the corner 
of Collins & Exhibition Streets, we turned right into Collins, then left into Swanston and 
finally left again into Flinders St, where we came face to face with the anti-abortionists 
outside the National Gallery of Victoria. To the surprise of most of us, but also to our 
great pleasure, we saw there were only about 500 of them.

In the front row of the ?March for the Babies? was Bernie Finn, the Liberal member of the 
Victorian Upper House, who has been the strongest Parliamentary ally of this campaign. One 
fellow on our side had a placard with a picture of Bernie, pointing out how he says he?s 
?pro-life? but quoting him in supporting the death penalty. Bulls-eye. The average age of 
the anti-abortionists was well above ours, while about half of them were men.

So we stood there, in their way ? and stopped them. After a short while, a thin blue line 
of coppers interposed itself between the two groups, facing us. It was clear who they were 
protecting and from whom. For the next hour we chanted, and arguments raged between the 
people in the respective front rows. A few times some anti-abortionists were allowed by 
the cops to walk among us, preaching about the evils of abortion. Nobody thumped them, but 
we gave them plenty of curry and there was one six-foot plus fellow to whom this author 
gave a piece of his mind. After a couple of anti-abortionists lost their placards, they 
gave up that tactic.

Eventually, the ?March for the Babies? threw in the towel. Their numbers were dwindling, 
their sound truck had left and, although the coppers were determined to protect them from 
us, they weren?t inclined to break us up to let them through. The remaining, much 
diminished, anti-abortionists turned around and marched away. A steward told me they were 
going back to Treasury Gardens, where they?d assembled, but somebody else said they were 
going to Parliament by a shorter, but less public route. While a score or so protestors 
argued vehemently with the one or two anti-abortionists who couldn?t drag themselves away 
from the scene, the MACG contingent left, satisfied with a good day?s work.

The MACG considers today a victory. We stood up to the foot soldiers of reaction and they 
blinked. With an anti-abortion Prime Minister newly installed, the religious Right will 
have the wind in their sails and be discussing what he can do for them. On this front, 
though, they have been defeated. They tried to march in Melbourne, where abortion has been 
decriminalised, and they couldn?t.

Melbourne Anarchist Communist Group
12 October 2013