Peace Pilgrim Graeme Dunstan in Havachat 10 August 2018. Story The Morning Bulletin 4 July 2019.
Text Jann Houley, photo Chris Ison

 

Peace Pilgrim celebrates Independence Day
from US troops

Veteran activist and peace pilgrim, Graeme Dunstan of Peacebus.com, will be celebrating Independence from America Day with an open mike SpeakOut

"Consider it a pre-emptive strike for peace as the Australian Army prepares for the Talisman Sabre, the huge, biennial US-Oz war rehearsals at Shoalwater Bay Training Area and many other places beside," said Mr Dunstan.

"The event will be an opportunity for Rockhampton citizens to voice their concerns about the consequences of the US Alliance and all that interoperability training undertaken by the Australian military with the US," he said.

Mr Dunstan says there are many questions of concern.

"For example, how can owe say that the US Alliance brings us security, when it is, at this very moment, threatening to drag our soldiers into another disastrous war in the Middle East? he said.

"How can we say that the US Alliance protects our freedoms when it is the US which is persecuting Australian citizen and CQU alumni, Julian Assange, and threatening him with life imprisonment for telling us the truth about US war crimes in Iraq?

"How can we say that the US Alliance brings honour to our soldiers when we learn that our special forces, the best of our best, when serving in Afghanistan under US command, evolved a toxic culture of cruelty, criminality and cover ups?

"How can we say the US Alliance brings us prosperity when we see $billions of our taxes spent on military hardware projects like the F35 which has little to do with Australian defence and everything to do with bringing profits to US arms manufacturers?

The Independence from America Day SpeakOut will be the curtain raiser for other acts of resistance and dissent during Talisman Sabre 2019.

These will also include a SpeakOut at the Talisman Sabre Open Day at the Rockhampton Showground on Saturday 6 July.

Independence from America Day SpeakOut

11 am Thursday 4 July 2019
at the gates of Western Barracks
Canoona Road, Rockhampton

 

Peacebus.com homepage

Past campaigns of Peacebus.com

Doing best we can.
For peace! For justice! For the Earth!