Swiss Rainforest Activist in Melbourne

On Friday 15 June 1990, sixty-seven members of the Melbourne Rainforest Action
Group (RAG) were arrested after nonviolently occupying the yard of
'Timbersales' - Melbourne's largest importer of rainforest timber from South
East Asia.  It was the largest number of arrests in one day of environmental
action in Victorian history.

The nonviolent action was organised to coincide with the visit to Melbourne of
Bruno Manser - the Swiss artist who lived in the rainforests of Sarawak
(Malaysia) with the Penan tribespeople for six years.  Bruno addressed the 250
activists and the media just prior to the action and then stood on a pile of
rainforest timber waving a flag of planet Earth.

During our focussing circle just prior to the action, the police advised that
their negotiations with the timber merchant to not insist on our arrest had
broken down.  The police, who are now heavily supportive of our campaign, thus
reluctantly advised that they would be compelled to arrest us.

After a final briefing, over 200 activists climbed the fence and entered the
timber yard.  We were dressed in all-white 'life-support' suits (symbolizing
'life' without rainforests) and after singing some rainforest songs, we used
colored ribbon to weave a web of life in the timber yard.  After two police
warnings, those who chose not to leave were arrested and charged with
trespass.

Despite considerable effort, at no stage in the weeks prior to the action were
we able to convince the Timbersales owners or managers to talk with us. 
However, later in the day Bruno was able to talk with the owner of Gunnersens
- the second largest timber merchant in Melbourne.

At 7:30 that evening, a public meeting attended by 500 people heard Bruno tell
stories of the Penan and explain the importance of halting rainforest
destruction.  A video of Melbourne RAG rainforest timber ship blockades was
also shown.

Caribbean 1
At 10:25pm on 22 June 1990, Melbourne RAG blockaded the Caribbean 1 as it
travelled up the Yarra River into Melbourne.  It was the thirteenth rainforest
timber ship blockade undertaken by the group - and the seventh at night. 
There were about 140 people at the action, fifty-two of whom went into the
water - either swimming, on surfboards or in kayaks.

The ship was carrying rainforest timbers from South East Asia and (like all of
the ships blockaded) was chartered by the Kansai Steamship Company of Japan. 
It was the second time that Melbourne RAG has blockaded the Caribbean 1 - we
also did so on 17 September 1989.

We arrived at the grassy verge on the edge of the river at 9:30pm.  It was the
winter solstice and exceptionally cold in the water.  During the focussing
circle, our focalisers explained details of the action, our safety procedures
and our nonviolent discipline as previously agreed at group meetings.  As
always, we did a head count immediately before and after the action, paired
off with a buddy, and checked wetsuits (for warmth and buoyancy), flippers
(for mobility) and coloured caps (for better visibility) as part of the safety
routine.

RAG had planned another multiple bow ride on the vessel, but this ship was
traveling so fast that activists in front of the ship were washed down its
side.  As usual in such circumstances the activists simply swam safely out of
the way of the stern of the ship.  During the action, the land activists
turned on car headlights to light up the river, held banners and sang songs. 
There were no arrests; the police and port security authorities had once again
helped us identify the precise arrival time of the ship so that we could
blockade it.

This ship was the first to be blockaded in all three of its ports in
Australia; it was blockaded by Brisbane RAG and Sydney RAG on its way to
Melbourne.  It was also subjected to union bans in all three ports thus
delaying its discharge time by almost a week.

Kabite
At 4:15pm on 27 July 1990, Melbourne RAG blockaded the Kabite.  There were
about 50 people at the action, twenty-six of whom went into the river - either
swimming or on surfboards.

We had decided prior to this action to change the blockade site.  We moved
from the grassy verge to a public wharf adjacent to Harbour Control.  Because
of our nonviolent discipline and police support for our campaign, we
successfully negotiated access to this new location.  It gave a much closer
view of the action for land activists and the media; and shortened the time we
were in the water - which was exceptionally cold!

RAG had planned two multiple bow rides on this vessel: one involving the
swimmers and one involving the surfers.  However the ship was again traveling
so fast that the line of swimmers holding hands in front of the ship was
washed down its side.  The surfers were also washed away although one managed
to ride the bow wave.

Save the Rainforests Pickets
The Melbourne RAG campaign has recently achieved a major breakthrough as a
result of our extensive and ongoing negotiations with trade unions.  Because
of this breakthrough, RAG has made the most important strategic decision of
the campaign since we decided to blockade the rainforest timber ships.  The
breakthrough is an agreement by the executive of the Transport Workers' Union
(truck drivers) to respect a picket we place at the dock entrance.  This will
prevent rainforest timber from being carted from the wharf for as long as we
can get people to stand on the picket line - given that arrest is inevitable.

The 'Save the Rainforests Pickets' - which will rely on moral persuasion and
education - will start within a few weeks following extensive planning and
organization which is now underway.  We have a working group negotiating with
union executives and (more importantly) rank and file memberships.  We also
have other groups responsible for liaison, networking, registration, support,
media and the action.

We hope to mobilize the people of Melbourne to stand on the picket line and to
convince rank and file unionists not to cross it.  It will take a lot of work
and may take several pickets.  Whether we are completely successful with this
tactic or not, this crucial phase of the struggle to save the world's
rainforests will ultimately hinge on rank and file unionists and ordinary
citizens - and their willingness to risk arrest or other sanctions for a cause
in which they believe.  This is classic nonviolent struggle and has tremendous
potential and importance for this and future nonviolent action campaigns in
Australia.

The pickets could halt the import of rainforest timbers into Melbourne - and
thus achieve the campaign's immediate objective - in several ways.  Firstly,
the Kansai Steamship Company may decide to stop sending its chartered vessels
with rainforest timber into Melbourne (but may try docking at ports in Geelong
and perhaps even Portland as an initial response).  If the pickets are
successful, other ship charterers would presumably be disinclined to accept
the business.  If Kansai withdrew, we would need to relocate the picket to
Webb Dock which receives a shipment of rainforest timber from an ANRO line
vessel every eight days.

Secondly, the timber merchants may be persuaded to withdraw from the trade in
rainforest timbers.  Thirdly, all trade unions involved in handling imported
rainforest timbers may eventually be persuaded to impose comprehensive bans on
the trade into Melbourne.  And fourthly, community action (through consumer
boycotts and bans by professional groups such as plywood manufacturers,
builders, architects and hardware proprietors) may make the trade in
rainforest timber unviable.

At this stage, RAG has not yet decided the details of this phase of its
strategy, including precisely how or where to concentrate pressure during the
pickets.  It has also not considered how to spread any success from the
pickets to other ports in Australia.  While these are major campaign
shortcomings, they partly reflect the nature of RAG - an open group which
welcomes new members to its meetings of seventy every week and in which
virtually all activists are new to the theory, practice and group process of
nonviolent struggle, and particularly its strategy.  In addition, the group is
often involved in several campaigns concurrently thus dissipating energy in
various directions at once.  Whatever its weaknesses, RAG is one of the most
effective grassroots groups in the country and a superb learning environment
for any activist.

Needless to say, there is no guarantee that this strategic maneuver alone will
achieve the immediate goal of halting the import of rainforest timbers into
Melbourne.  For one thing, the international tropical timber trade is
sanctioned by powerful vested interests (including the Australian government)
and is worth billions of dollars.  The industry will not stand idly by because
a group of environmental activists, rank and file unionists and committed
citizens of Melbourne have decided that the trade in rainforest timbers must
end.  For that reason, we must anticipate considerable repression, including
arrest and imprisonment for picketers, and the possible use of sanctions under
sections 45D and 45E of the Trade Practices Act (which outlaws 'secondary
boycotts') against unionists.  For the pickets to be successful, the activists
and unionists must be strong enough to withstand the repression.

Whatever the immediate outcome, the pickets have enormous potential to raise
awareness of rainforest destruction and to compel ordinary citizens to
consider getting actively involved in the struggle to stop it.  If Melbourne
RAG is united and committed, the pickets could climax this phase of the
campaign.

Robert J. Burrowes