Twenty Years of Greens on Marrickville Council

Twenty years ago, on the 14th of September 1991, Bruce Welch was elected to Marrickville Council and John Sutton was elected to Newcastle Council. They were the first Greens elected to local government in NSW.

How To Vote Green in 1991

To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Bruce’s election, Marrickville and Petersham Newtown Greens have organised a get-together of all eleven Greens elected to Marrickville over that twenty year period.

There will be brief speeches from Bruce Welch, our first Greens Mayor, Sam Byrne, and our current Greens Mayor, Fiona Byrne.

Members are welcome to join us in this modest celebration of our two decades of representation on Marrickville Council.

When: Thursday the 22nd of September 2011
Where: Petersham Town Hall, Crystal Street Petersham
Time: 6.00pm to 8.00pm.

RSVP to Colin Hesse for catering purposes at colinh@nsw.greens.org.au

For more details on the history of the Greens in the inner west (and Colin Hesse’s hair style through the decades) visit http://davidshoebridge.org.au/2011/09/14/greens-celebrate-twenty-years-in-local-government/

Video: Build the GreenWay Bike Ride – 28 August 2011

Don’t let the New State Government dump the GreenWay

From Friends of the Greenway:

Friends of the Greenway today called on the NSW Government to commit to funding and implementing the 5km long Iron Cove to Cooks River GreenWay, as an integral component of the light rail extension from Lilyfield to Dulwich Hill.

Friends of the Greenway Convenor Jud Agius said the GreenWay is a 15-year vision to turn the former goods line into a bushland and integrated active transport corridor for walking, cycling and light rail, linking the Cooks River with Sydney Harbour.

“It is vital that the new Government follows through on funding for the GreenWay, so that the benefits of this integrated transport project are realised. Integrating the GreenWay with the light rail was a commitment made by the previous Labor Government, and it is what the community are saying they want” he said.

The GreenWay will include a shared pedestrian and cycle path and regeneration of a diverse bush corridor, alongside the light rail route.

The regeneration will assist with the recovery of the threatened population of the Long-nosed Bandicoot which has been found living in the corridor.

The former NSW Government committed around $20-30 million for the GreenWay, less than one fifth of the total project budget of $150m for both the light rail and GreenWay. Despite requests by Friends of the Greenway and the Councils, the new State Government has not confirmed GreenWay funding, while committing to funding the light rail.

“We are now hearing rumours from credible sources that the GreenWay funding is to be cut in the State budget to be released in September. We are calling on residents of the Inner West to let the State Government know we want the GreenWay as much as the light rail, and it must not cut the GreenWay’s funding.” Mr Agius said.

“The GreenWay will be a show case for a people-friendly Sydney, and a glimpse of what a sustainable Sydney could look like in the 21st Century, with walking and cycling happening alongside sustainable public transport. In fact the GreenWay will increase patronage for the light rail.” Mr Agius said.

“The GreenWay is a once in a generation opportunity that we cannot afford to lose. It will be much more difficult and a poorer outcome, if the GreenWay is not built and designed at the same time as the light rail.”

“The GreenWay vision was actually around long before light rail was even mooted, so the current refusal of the NSW Government to commit to it is very concerning.

“Without the GreenWay, we’ll simply be turning an industrial goods line corridor into an industrial light rail corridor and leaving a degraded, weed-infested area around the line. With all the new medium density housing going into the area this would be a sub-standard result for the area.”

Mr Agius said the GreenWay would have many advantages including:

• Helping to increase patronage of the light rail, by linking regional cycling and walking routes (such as the Parramatta to Botany Bay route along the Cooks River and Bay Run to City route) with the light rail operation;
• Creating a regional active transport corridor linking with Sydney’s CBD for the growing (and ageing) population of not only the Inner-West, but surrounding Sydney sub-regions;
• Providing much-needed open space for the community, volunteer bushcare groups and habitat for local flora and fauna;
• Protecting an Endangered Population of bandicoot, and establishing a green bush corridor though a highly urbanised part of Sydney;
• Getting people out of their cars and on to other sustainable transport forms – reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting Sydney as a sustainable city;
• Providing an opportunity for children to walk or cycle safely to school, with some 23 schools within the GreenWay catchment area. The State Government and Councils have already created this expectation with parents and teachers in the area.

Mr Agius thanked Ashfield, Marrickville, Canterbury and Leichhardt Councils for their ongoing support of the GreenWay.

“The Councils have been doing a fantastic job, advocating for the GreenWay and promoting it to the community. There are many Council run projects already underway in the GreenWay that have involved several thousand residents and school kids.” Mr Agius said.

In 2009, the NSW Government provided a $1.8m Urban Sustainability Grant to Ashfield Council on behalf of the four Councils to help build community support for the GreenWay. In addition, the Government has given a number of grants to help plan for the corridor.

The ‘2nd Greenway Festival’ from 23-29 October 2011 is being organised by the Urban Sustainability team based at Ashfield Council.

To write to the Premier and Minister for Transport, download campaign letters at www.friendsofthegreenway.org.au

For more information about the Greenway go to www.greenway.org.au

Marrickville Budget puts works on the ground

29 June 2011 – media release

Marrickville Council’s 2011-12 budget will see works on the ground fast-tracked with funds ear-marked for increased bicycle parking infrastructure, the upgrade of Marrickville Station precinct, grants for community gardens and verge planting and tree planting, new filtered water fountains in Marrickville and Enmore, and the renovation of Petersham Pool.

“This budget is about getting tangible work on the ground to improve the local neighborhood and improve environmental sustainability,” said Greens Mayor Fiona Byrne.

“Council is continuing its many great programs to cater for our diverse community through aged care services, child care services, continuing the improvement of the Cooks River, improving our foot paths, civic areas and much more.”

“Works will commence to renovate Petersham Pool after the summer swimming season.

“The cycling boom in the Inner West will be catered for with new bicycle parking built at train stations and shopping strips.

“Filtered water fountains will be rolled out in Marrickville and Enmore after a successful trial in Newtown.

“More street trees will be planted to improve streetscapes and increase the canopy of the Inner West.

“Grants will be available to citizens to help establish community gardens, verge planting and bush pockets.

“Council will also look into partitioning sports field lights so that lighting can be used sustainably, saving electricity and reducing carbon emissions.

“There will be big challenges ahead, especially the redevelopment of a new library on the Marrickville Hospital site. This budget will set us up to undertake this important work.”

“Council committed $240,000 to fighting graffiti and diverting young people into more constructive activities.” said Mayor Byrne.

St Peters gas well set to be drilled in September 2011

Dart Energy, the company that holds a petroleum exploration licence over a large swathe of Sydney has told the stock market that they plan to drill a core hole in September/October 2011. With possible pilot production happening in the fist half of 2012.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported recent developments.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu endorses Marrickville councillors on BDS stance

Media Release                                                        June 5,  2011

Archbishop Desmond Tutu sends letter of support and solidarity to Marrickville Mayor and Councillors

Marrickville’s Mayor Fiona Byrne has received a letter of support from Archbishop Desmond Tutu regarding her and other Councillors support for the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions call from Palestinian civil society.

The letter will be presented to Mayor Byrne at Marrickville Council Chambers at 6pm on Tuesday, June 7.

 

“I’m honoured to receive this endorsement from Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu,” Mayor Byrne said. “Desmond Tutu’s courageous stand against Apartheid in South Africa and ongoing advocacy for peace and human rights is an inspiration to us all.

“Palestinian civil society has called for support for the Boycotts, Divestments and Sanctions campaign to highlight the struggle of the Palestinian people for basic human rights.

I am proud that Marrickville Council was able to support and highlight the human rights violations suffered by many Palestinian people,” Mayor Byrne said.

The letter makes reference to Marrickville Council’s Sister City relationship with Bethlehem, the importance of sporting boycotts in the campaign against apartheid in South Africa and the pressure placed on Marrickville Council.

Excerpts:

“I want to pay my respects to you and your fellow Councilors in Marrickville for taking a stand to isolate the Israeli state, and before that for offering practical solidarity to our sisters and brothers under occupation in the Holy City of Bethlehem.

“International Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions against the Apartheid regime, combined with the mass struggle inside South Africa, led to our victory.

“Sometimes taking a public stand for what is ethical and right brings costs, but social justice on a local or global scale requires faith and courage,” the Archbishop wrote.

 

In December 2010 ten out of twelve Marrickville Councillors supported the BDS. However by April 2011 six had withdrawn their support.

“We are humbled and inspired by this expression of support from Archbishop Desmond Tutu,” said Councillors Kontellis, Thanos and Peters said, who along with Mayor Byrne maintained their support for the BDS under intense media pressure.

*********************************************************************************

LETTER FROM ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU

TO MARRICKVILLE’S MAYOR  FIONA BYRNE

********************************************************************

Presentation speech to Mayor Fiona Byrne from Karel Solomon

Firstly I would like to acknowledge the original people of Australia – past present and future

And would like to see the end of the NT intervention – a very racist policy

And the suspension of the racial discrimination act being lifted.But tonight we here to support Clr Bryne and those of you who were brave enough to bring the plight of the Palestinian people to Australian mindset.

I know it’s not a easy task.

As someone who suffered under apartheid – it is all to clear that what exists in Israeli today is Apartheid – make no mistake about that.

Let me give you the definition of Apartheid

The crime of apartheid is defined by the 2002 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as inhumane acts of a character similar to other crimes against humanity ”committed in the context of an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial group or groups and committed with the intention of maintaining that regime.”

On 30 November 1973, the United Nations General Assembly opened for signature and ratification the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid (ICSPCA)^[1] It defined the crime of apartheid as “inhuman acts committed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one racial group of persons over any other racial group of persons and systematically oppressing them.”——-

How that does not fall into the ambit of what is happening to the Palestinians — I don’t know.

People were forcible removed from their homes and dumped into refugee camps – based on one criteria – and one criteria alone – by the race – by a accident of birth = people that were deemed non Jewish -  were forcibly removed from their homes they knew all their lives.

When such a action was taken against Black people in White South Africa – it was seen as a policy of Apartheid. – a racist policy

When we as Blacks were told you can’t stay here – but you must stay there – it was a policy of Apartheid– a racist policy

When we as Blacks were told we can’t buy this land – but you can buy there – it was a policy of Apartheid – a racist policy

When Israeli demands to be recognized as a state that is defined by race – then it is an of Apartheid state. – a racist policy

When people – through a accident of birth to a specific race – are being denied basic human rights by another race – that is Apartheid

Make no mistake Israeli is an Apartheid state.

Even some people that that are fully supportive of the Palestinian people hesitate – to use the dread Apartheid word

I’m not sure why – but that is why we as South Africans have to moral responsibility – it is our duty – to tell the world when we see Apartheid.

Because we know it all to well – and the legacy.

It was for this reason – I called on family friends to contact Arch Bishop Tutu – to help Australians understand – that what is happening to the Palestinians – is Apartheid.

And it was for the same reason I knew Arch Bishop Tutu would support the action of Marrickville council

I will end – by reading the letter of support to Fiona and those who are supporting this anti racist campaign.

Read letter

In closing Fiona I would like to say – that although you might think you alone in this fight sometimes – don’t worry – there are millions of us – Fighting racism is our business.

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Social justice at local scale takes courage, Tutu tells Marrickville mayor

Josephine Tovey

SMH June 7, 2011

Illustration: Rocco Fazzari.

THE Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu has penned a letter of praise to Marrickville Council over its support for a boycott of Israel, almost two months after the policy was abandoned amid an angry political backlash.

The Nobel peace prize recipient and critic of Israel wrote that he wanted to extend his respects to the mayor, Fiona Byrne, and her fellow councillors ”for taking a stand to isolate the Israeli state”.

”We in South Africa, who both suffered apartheid and defeated it, have the moral right and responsibility to name and shame institutionalised separation, exclusion, and domination by one ethnic group over others,” Archbishop Tutu said in the letter, which will be formally presented to Cr Byrne tonight.

”Sometimes taking a public stand for what is ethical and right brings costs, but social justice on a local or global scale requires faith and courage.”

Ten Marrickville councillors – five Greens, four Labor and one independent – voted to support the boycott campaign against Israel last December, provoking condemnation from federal and state politicians, Jewish groups and media commentators.

The motion was overturned in April, when all the Labor and two Green councillors withdrew their support.

Cr Byrne, who narrowly lost her bid to unseat Carmel Tebbutt at the state election in March, welcomed the archbishop’s support.

”I am proud that Marrickville Council was able to support and highlight the human rights violations suffered by many Palestinian people,” she said.

The issue provoked a fresh spat between federal government and opposition MPs last week.

The opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman, Julie Bishop, put forward a notice of motion asking Parliament to ”note with concern” the council’s support for the boycott and the ”fraying of the traditionally bipartisan support amongst Australia’s political parties for the state of Israel”.

A Labor MP significantly amended the motion, prompting Ms Bishop to accuse the ALP of siding with the Greens.

”The actions of federal Labor MPs in Parliament today can only further embolden the anti-Israel elements within the Labor and union movement,” she said in a statement.

But the Foreign Affairs Minister, Kevin Rudd, returned fire, saying the motion was amended because bipartisan support among the major parties was ”unwavering”.

”Israel is fully supported by the government and we are not aware of any fraying of support from the opposition,” he said.

The revised motion reiterated support for the right of Israel to exist and for a peaceful two-state solution in the region.

Mr Rudd had previously derided the boycott policy as “just plain nuts”.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/social-justice-at-local-scale-takes-courage-tutu-tells-marrickville-mayor-20110606-1fpdl.html#ixzz1OgZHRZxs

Two sides to thinking global, acting local

Sydney Morning Herald
Josephine Tovey
April 23, 2011

Pushing for a boycott against Israel became bigger than a local council, writes Josephine Tovey.

THE day after the Premier, Barry O’Farrell, threatened to sack Marrickville Council over its push for a boycott of Israel, councillors received an email headlined ”Death Wish”:

Today’s message from Barry … ‘Pull Your Collective Head in or I’ll Chop it Off!’ Clear enough? Go ahead- Make my day! Hasten and Assure your own extinction.
It was one of thousands of missives, many anonymous and abusive, received by representatives of the inner west council in the four months after it gave in-principle support for a Global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions [GBDS] campaign against Israel.

Four Labor councillors and two Greens councillors dropped their support on Tuesday. Before they did, the mayor, Fiona Byrne, described the campaign against the council as a ”sledgehammer” applied to an egg.

In the avalanche of media reports, emails, covert campaigning and direct political pressure directed at the council, denunciations from state and federal politicians cut the hardest.

Labor’s Luke Foley described the mayor as extremist; Kevin Rudd said the policy was ”nuts”; Julie Bishop called it bigoted.

A Labor councillor, Mary O’Sullivan, said Mr O’Farrell’s threat was the main reason she moved to overturn the proposed boycott on Tuesday.

”The minister [for local government] does have enormous powers in relation to dismissal,” she said.

”I wanted to ensure that the council resolved the issue on the night and did not expose itself further to what would have been effective strategy on the part of the state government.”

Cr O’Sullivan, who received abusive and pornographic emails attacking her and the boycott, denied any pressure from her own party.

She said she did not speak to the local MPs Anthony Albanese or Carmel Tebbutt about the policy. She said she received one offensive, anti-Semitic email supporting the boycott in three months.

The two Greens, Peter Olive and Max Phillips, said their belief the policy did not have community support made them back down, not campaigning. But Cr Olive described the reaction as ”extreme and disproportionate”.

Most of the campaigning was directed at the Greens mayor, who unsuccessfully challenged Ms Tebbutt in the state election last month.

Swastikas were spray-painted on Greens banners, and thousands of anonymous leaflets were distributed throughout the electorate.

The night before the election, Greens supporters photographed a group of men putting up posters and stickers accusing the Greens of homophobia, hating democracy and supporting terrorism. The posters have been the subject of complaints to the police and the NSW Electoral Commission.

The Greens have also criticised a controversial phone poll conducted during the campaign.

A group called the Inner West Jewish Community and Friends Peace Alliance claimed responsibility for the poll last week, but denied any wrong-doing.

On March 3 a request from the group was accidentally published on the Jewish news website J-Wire and a blog, requesting $12,000 in public donations for activities ”to research what local people really think … carefully targeted media coverage and advertising in relation to the election … Please also pass this information on quietly to like-minded friends”. It was quickly deleted.

Eleven days later Marrickville Council said it was investigating four complaints from residents about a survey ”asking residents to comment on the GBDS against Israel”. At least one resident complained the interviewer had claimed to be from the council.

Cr Byrne labelled it a push poll and a dirty trick.

The survey and its results, showing only one-third of respondents support the boycott, have been made public.

The poll’s introduction said the interviewer was doing a ”short five-minute study about your views and opinions of the Marrickville City [sic] Council”.

It asked residents what factors should influence council policies and initiatives and provided a list that included climate change, traffic congestion and foreign affairs. It also asked whether the interviewee was aware of the boycott.

After saying that the mayor was the Greens candidate at the state election, it asked whether that would influence their vote.

Uri Windt, who is a member of both the alliance and the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, said the poll was scientific and definitely not intended to mislead.

”It’s not push-polling; it does not fit the definition. It was professionally conducted,” Mr Windt said.

The alliance has refused to comment on how much it collected and spent on its campaign.

”It’s not relevant what we raised,” Mr Windt said. ”It really was us taking responsibility for our own actions and the strategy we wanted to apply, so we raised the funds and paid our debts.”

Accusations of one-sided media coverage of the issue were also rife at Tuesday’s meeting. The academic Peter Slezak, of Independent Australian Jewish Voices, said Jewish critics of Israel and supporters of the BDS campaign had not been heard, particularly in the Jewish media.

Samah Sabawi, a Palestinian-Australian, said their voice had been lost. ”I don’t feel we were able to discuss and debate the issue rationally and I don’t feel the door was open for Palestinian voices to discuss what the BDS was about.”

Vic Alhadeff, chief executive of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, said his organisation had no knowledge of the poster campaign, or the phone survey, until afterwards.

But he said Cr Byrne’s ”sledgehammer” remark suggested she did not understand the gravity of the policy she was supporting.

”To take on such a policy as a serious proposal, those behind it should not then be surprised at the response that it generates … it warranted a very serious response.”

He welcomed the council’s turnaround. ”We regard it as a victory of commonsense and the voice of the people coming to the fore.”

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/two-sides-to-thinking-global-acting-local-20110422-1drhh.html#ixzz1KIezP3O6

Went Marrickville Went Global

Now that the BDS motion has been rescinded, are Marrickville Council’s 15 minutes up? New Matilda reviews the extraordinary interest in one local council triggered by the sanctions motion

It was another victory for campaigning journalism last night when Marrickville Council voted against supporting the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) motion it had passed in December last year. Then, only two councillors out of 12 voted against it. This time around, Independent Councillors Victor Macri and Morris Hanna were joined by four ALP councillors and two Greens. Eighteen members of the public addressed the council for three minutes each on the motion before packed council chambers.

Greens councillor Max Phillips was one of those who changed his vote. He told the Sydney Morning Herald on Monday, “With the benefit of hindsight there should have been a much more thorough debate on this issue before it was adopted by the NSW Greens and moved on Marrickville Council.”

Whether or not the debate that has taken place over BDS in the Australian media has been thorough or not is up for grabs — but the coverage has been extensive. Local councils don’t generally make the national news. When they do, it’s usually got something to do with corruption or development. The motion was criticised widely for being a foreign policy issue — not a municipal one. That didn’t stop state and federal leaders weighing in on the topic. Marrickville Council made national news bulletins and if nothing else, as Marrickville Mayor Fiona Byrne said last night, put the issue of BDS on the national agenda.

It’s worth quickly reviewing the situation. The motion passed in December was put forward by Greens councillors Marika Kontellis and Cathy Peters. The minutes record that special mention was made of Marrickville’s “sister city relationship with Bethlehem and the strong support for that relationship from local progressive faith communities and other community members”.

At the same meeting a motion was passed to replace a bin for a Marrickville house and to remove a tree. A mayoral minute was passed in favour of same-sex marriage, to the effect that “this council support marriage equality, that is the amendment of the Marriage Act 1961, so as to remove discrimination against same-sex couples.” So much, so local council.

The motion got a brief mention in the SMH on 21 December but it was left by the media until 13 January when News Limited got hold of it. It ran a story in the Daily Tele which opened with the question, “What does the desert theocracy of Saudi Arabia have in common with Marrickville Council in Sydney’s Inner West?”

This was followed by an op-ed by federal member for Grayndler (which includes Marrickville) Anthony Albanese on 14 January — and it didn’t stop after that.  Fiona Byrne was widely tipped to win the state seat of Marrickville from the then deputy premier Carmel Tebbutt in the NSW election. She didn’t, and the coverage and campaigning around BDS has been generally acknowledged to be the main reason for the drop in her popularity. New Matilda last month examined the vigorous campaign mounted against Byrne in the media and by Labor.

Today, the SMH reported that Tebbutt may have breached electoral laws in accepting a donation of social media services in her campaign. This story was broken by Wendy Bacon and Nicole Gooch in New Matilda two weeks ago as the rest of the media remained fixated on the BDS campaign.

Not only was the media focus on a local council unusual, so too was the deluge of advice directed to Marrickville councillors. As Byrne wrote yesterday, “It seems that everyone has an opinion at the moment about whether the Marrickville Local Government Area should play a role in trying to create change for the people of Palestine.” It wasn’t just from locals, either.

A letter was addressed to Marrickville councillors by a group of pro-boycott Israeli citizens. They wrote:

“We reject the notion promoted by demagogues, that the 2005 BDS call from Palestine, and the BDS campaigns the world over which it has inspired, are rooted in anti-Jewish sentiment. On the contrary, BDS is an anti-racist movement against the daily, brutal occupation of Palestine and the virulently racist policies towards Israel’s Palestinian citizens.”

The Israelis weren’t the only ones. John Berger, China Mieville and Naomi Klein were among those journalists, politicians and academics who put their name to a letter to Marrickville Council encouraging them to vote in favour of the motion again. They wrote, “Please uphold your boycott policy and stand firm in your commitment to human rights.”

And John Pilger had his say too:

“And those who have wavered and walked away should think again — remembering other waverers who, long ago, walked away from speaking out against what was being done to Jews. The scale is very different; the principle is the same. Do not be intimidated by Murdoch vendettas or by anyone else. All power to you.”

Councillors and mayors from around the world who had supported BDS motions in their areas sent letters of support. Two councillors from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets gave an example of how the policy had been implemented:

“Tower Hamlets council will not allow Veolia to tender for any future contracts in the area. Veolia is a French multinational that is providing infrastructure for Israel’s illegal settlements, including by building a rail line linking illegal Israeli settlements to Israel. This rail line has been condemned by the UN Human Rights council.

“The fact that Veolia supports and profits from Israel’s violent occupation of Palestinian territory makes it unfit to operate in our community. This decision to exclude Veolia from all future contracts was a simple and cost-free one to make, but is an important display of our support for the universal principles of human rights. Tower Hamlets council is now investigating what other similar steps it can take in the future while upholding its duties to local residents.”

The letters went unheeded.

The Essential Report polled Australians on Israel-Palestine last week and found mixed results. Forty six per cent of those polled disagreed with the proposition that being critical of Israel made a person anti-Semitic. Ten per cent agreed — and 22 per cent gave “don’t know” as their answer.

On all questions, there was a much higher than usual “don’t know” response. Peter Lewis of Essential Media puts the figure in context: “most political questions draw a ‘don’t know’ of around 10 per cent — these are the purely disengaged. A ‘don’t know’ this high suggests a more honest and engaged and considered appraisal of a complex situation — people are genuinely undecided.”

Yesterday Max Phillips tweeted, “Educating the community about BDS is meant to be the first step in building support for BDS. This has not happened in #Marrickville”. The high “don’t know” responses on Israel-Palestine to the Essential poll suggest that it’s not just the Marrickville community that has unanswered questions about the conflict. And in view of the heavy-handed media coverage of the issue, it’s not hard to see why.

http://newmatilda.com.au/2011/04/20/when-marrickville-went-global

20th April, 2011

Marrickville Council’s move to boycott Israel sinks in a stormy sea of debate

MARRICKVILLE Council’s controversial push for a boycott of Israel was quashed at a tempestuous, crowded meeting last night.

Gallery members reported being spat on, accusations of cowardice were screamed at councillors and flags and banners were waved as police looked on.

Labor councillors and two Greens who had supported the initial push to support the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel, voted with two independent councillors against it.
The council’s support for the movement has drawn unprecedented ire, including from the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Kevin Rudd, and the Premier, Barry O’Farrell, and messages of support from figures such as John Pilger and Julian Burnside.

The Greens councillor Max Phillips denounced the attacks on the council but said: ”I do not believe there is sufficient understanding or support to justify council [supporting] a boycott of Israel … It must not be imposed.”

He was jeered with calls of ”there goes your preselection.” The Labor councillors Mary O’Sullivan and Sam Iskander spoke passionately about their trips to Bethlehem and their support for Palestinian human rights, but said ultimately they could not continue to support the boycott. Cr O’Sullivan moved the motion which brought the boycott down.

A separate motion by the mayor, Fiona Byrne, to retain in-principle support for the boycott was rejected. The only councillors who continued their support were the mayor, the independent Dimitrios Thanos and Greens pair Marika Kontellis and Cathy Peters.

Hundreds of people attended the passionate meeting, which was filled with shouting, flag waving and jeers. Many could not find a seat in the chamber and stood in corridors and on the street.

A Jewish blogger and pro-Palestinian rights activist, Antony Loewenstein, said he was spat on on his way in and called a pig. Proceedings were repeatedly interrupted. One woman called Arab councillors who did not support the boycott ”f—ing cowards”, first in Arabic, then in English, before storming out.

Cr Byrne said she shocked by the vitriol the issue had attracted. ”I personally don’t understand why we’ve had a sledgehammer used to crack the egg that is Marrickville Council on this issue,” she said.

Though the boycott was voted down, the council formally registered that it remained ”concerned about Palestinian human rights and calls on Israel to end the occupation of Palestinian lands”.

Twelve councillors and 18 members of the public addressed the three-hour debate.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/marrickville-councils-move-to-boycott-israel-sinks-in-stormy-sea-of-debate-20110419-1dnkk.html#ixzz1K4qK8wKm

Backlash forces end to Israel Boycott

Controversial … Fiona Byrne. Photo: Steven Siewert

THE Marrickville mayor, Fiona Byrne, will try to end a boycott of Israel after an intense political and community backlash, death threats and a collapse in support on the council, conceding it is ”impractical and untenable”.

But the mayor, who would not rule out another tilt at state politics, is unwavering in her support for the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel and will tomorrow call on the council to offer its in-principle support only.

Cr Byrne, speaking publicly for the first time since failing to win the seat of Marrickville at the state election, said she did not think the controversial original motion, which called for a boycott of ”all goods made in Israel and any sporting, academic institutions, government or institutional cultural exchanges”, was wrong.

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Following a recent council report showing it would cost $3.7 million to fully implement, Cr Byrne said it was ”impractical”.

”I must be financially responsible to my community, and I certainly would not put my community under a financial burden to implement it,” she said, adding she was proud of the council for supporting the rights of the Palestinian people.

”It has got people talking about an issue that previously was invisible,” she said. ”Is it the right thing to support the BDS campaign? Yes. I think it is.”

The move comes after a tumultuous four days that saw support crumple among Labor councillors and one Green, Max Phillips, who said they would not support putting it into practice.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kevin Rudd, labelled the policy ”nuts” and the Premier, Barry O’Farrell, threatened to sack the council if it proceeded.

Pro-Palestinian groups and people such as Julian Burnside, QC, have supported the boycott.

The Greens leader, Bob Brown, who does not support the boycott movement, blamed the policy for the Greens not winning the state seat of Marrickville, despite earlier prediction they would.

But Cr Byrne does not share his view. ”Some people would argue that the carbon tax at the federal level was in people’s minds when they went to vote, some people would argue that it was BDS, ” she said. ”I don’t believe you can put it down to one individual thing.”

Cr Byrne said the only mistake she and other councillors had made was not better educating the public about the international boycott movement. ”We certainly didn’t have time to educate people about what the campaign is and why it exists.”

Councillors will meet tomorrow night to discuss the report, made public last week, on the potential cost of the boycott.

Cr Byrne’s new motion, which calls for in-principle support to be maintained but no practical boycotts implemented, will be put alongside another motion from the independent councillor Victor Macri, who has opposed the boycott from the beginning.

His motion calls for it to be overturned and for the council to ”acknowledge that Australian foreign policy is the responsibility of the Commonwealth government and not local government”.

Cr Macri also asked the council’s general manager, Ken Gainger, how much money had so far been spent on the policy. Mr Gainger said any figure would be speculative.

”I am advised that council has not incurred any direct expenditure in administering this decision to date as no boycott is currently in place,” he says in meeting business papers.

But Mr Gainger also noted the controversy surrounding the boycott has become a ”distraction” for staff from other work.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/backlash-forces-end-to-israel-boycott-20110417-1djui.html#ixzz1K4lraXZd