THE newly-formed Youth Against War and Fascism is holding its debut event at The Buffalo Club in Fremantle.
Independence from the USA: Stop AUKUS will feature local bands, poetry readings, and speeches by Greens MLC Sophie McNeil and former Fremantle councillor Sam Wainwright.
After holding its inaugural meeting a couple of weeks ago, Youth Against War and Fascism hope to engage more young people in political issues and give them a voice.
Its immediate focus is AUKUS – a partnership between Australia, UK and the US to “enhance security” in the Indo-Pacific region using nuclear submarines. Under the partnership, nuclear subs will be stationed at HMAS Stirling on Garden Island and low level nuclear waste will be stored there.
• (left to right) Patrick Truman-Healy, Aedan McLeod and Zoe Williams outside The Buffalo Club, promoting Independence from the USA: Stop AUKUS.
“Watching what’s happening in the USA, they’re not really a trustworthy partner and not a country that I think a lot of people want to be allied with through the AUKUS deal,” says Zoe Williams, one of the founding members of Youth Against War and Fascism.
“A lot of people don’t even know what AUKUS is, but we’re the ones who’ll be bearing the brunt of being tied to America.
“If a war does happen, they’re dragging us into those kind of things.”
AUKUS has proved controversial with several anti-nuclear protests held in Fremantle and the surrounding suburbs.
In September, a US nuclear submarine docked at HMAS Stirling – the first to undergo maintenance as a part of the agreement.
Williams says they are planning another anti-AUKUS event in Rockingham, close to where the nuclear waste will be stored.
“I think art and music events are a good way for young people to get introduced to these issues,” she says. “A lot of young people are a bit demoralised and disenfranchised, because we feel we don’t have a say in things.
“So it’s good to come together and talk about issues and share our views.”
At Independence from the USA: Stop AUKUS there will be stalls manned by Youth Against War and Fascism and The Greens.
The event will feature local bands including Measures of Distance, Monstar, and Goodbye Forever, and they’ll be poetry readings by Joni Boyd, Allan Boyd, and Mena Tabeshfar.
It’s on Saturday July 5 at The Buffalo Club, 54 High Street, Fremantle at 6pm. Tix at Eventbrite: tinyurl.com/42hby9ms.
by STEPHEN POLLOCK