MayDay in Christchurch
A brief run-down on today's events in the garden city...
I slept in this morning so by the time I got down to the J-Day rally in Cathedral Square, due to start at midday, it was all over. Luckily Leith got an earlier night than me so hopefully he'll be posting up a report sometime today.
The 1pm anti-GE at McD's was cancelled which is a shame because the ART group organising it had run off some brilliant colouring-in leaflets about the GE soy in Inghams chickens used by McDs. I particularly like the way they detourned Ronald McDonald, making out that he is concerned about GE. If kids will listen to his lies to buy burgers, maybe they will listen to the truth if we put the words in his mouth? Instead of attacking Ronald (putting him in stocks etc) we recruit him to lead out campaigns? Can this concept be applied to the mascots of other comanies? Spot speaking out against Telecom etc?
At about 3pm I arrived in Cranmer square to a disappointingly small crowd. They had decided not to bother marching to the square and were just finishing an open mic session as I arrived. Despite the lack of numbers however, a broad range of left and union groups were represented and it was a good chance for some info-sharing, networking and, at the Dux afterwards, discussions on how to have a bigger, better rally next MayDay.
Some discussion of the pagan origins of MayDay celebrations got me to thinking that maybe we need to completely rethink the whole thing. The MayDay traditions we are emulating come from Europe. May 1 is close to Spring Equinox in the northern hemisphere and the weather (and the way it affects people's energy) is opposite. Seems to me that the first half of the year is a time for meetings and conferences, for setting goals and making plans. Then in spring (September, October, November) we should be having be rallies to wake everyone out of their Winter slumber and get them ready for action over the summer. Our 'MayDay' in the southern hemisphere should be on OUR spring equinox, closer to Nov 1 - perhaps on Guy Fawkes/ Helloween?
The other issue I brought up at the rally in the need for the three 'streams' of activist who focus on MayDay - unions, anti-capitalists, anti-prohibitionists - need to work in together more to avoid timetabling clashes and cross-promote each othes activities.
Comments
Re: MayDay in Christchurch
why was the mcdonalds demo cancelled? weather troubles? or something else.......
You had,,
A big smile on TV. ;>
Re: MayDay in Christchurch
Good on you and I wish I had known about it as I would have been there.
Remember it only takes a small amount of people and great ideas to make changes!
Excellent stuff.
Re: MayDay in Christchurch
just to clarify... the McDs action was a Greenpeace thing, not ART, they have been happening throughout the week so the Saturday date was just a possible addition, not really a MayDay action as such...
yeah, the turn out was small, but perhaps better than previous years and pretty good for oh-so-conservative christchurch.
Just to also add, there were drinkies and a screening of 'rocking the foundations' at the Trade Union Centre in the evening, a great video about the Builders Labourers Federation in OZ during the 70s. Worth a watch.
Re: MayDay in Christchurch
'Some discussion of the pagan origins of MayDay celebrations got me to thinking that maybe we need to completely rethink the whole thing. The MayDay traditions we are emulating come from Europe.'
No they don't. Mayday is international workers' day and, together with its sister event International Working Woman's Day, is celebrated all over the world. There are political activists of every hue, but Mayday is only an event for activists who belong to or identify with the working class. Some of the biggest celebrations this year were in the East - in Japan and in South Korea, and in the tropics - in Cuba and in Venezuela. There has been a struggle with union bureaucrats over the years in Auckland to keep Mayday on May the 1st, even when it falls on a weekday. It's very important that workers all over the world mark the event on the same day, because by doing so they show their international unity. The weather ruined things in Auckland this year. I'll post a report when I have time if nobody else has done so...
Re: MayDay in Christchurch
I realise the McD's/GE thing has been a Greenpeace campaign but I was told that ART members were planning to do something at 1pm as their grassroots contribution to that campaign and to mark MayDay. I could be wrong.
Scott, for someone who argues so staunchly against new age notions of thoughts/ energy affecting the physical world you often mistake your ideals for reality.
"The weather ruined things in Auckland this year." Something that no amount of international worker solidarity can change as far as I'm aware. Whereas having a southern hemisphere worker's day as I suggested possibly might.
MayDayMayDay--its raining
i agree, the weather was pretty bad, we should have a revolution when it gets sunny again