Please pass on
The Land Warfare Conference Welcoming Committee invites you to………
Protest the Land Warfare Conference in Brisbane
“River city to host conference on the best ways to make a killing”
Brisbane will be hosting the 2008 Land Warfare Conference from Oct 27-31, 2008. The conference, themed Force Protection in the 21st Century – Deter, Detect, Disrupt and Defeat will see some of the world’s largest and most lethal military manufacturers exhibiting their wares and working alongside military officials to plan more efficient ways to wage war.
The Land Warfare Conference Welcoming Committee has been set up to oppose this conference and is calling for it to be cancelled. It is our belief that the Land Warfare Conference is a continuation of Australia’s unnecessary spiralling towards militarism/militarisation /perpetual war- and down a path essentially led by US interests. Australia’s support for US led wars, its massive joint training exercises with the US, and hosting of US bases and military facilities indicate that the Australian Defence Force doesn’t have the defence of Australia as its primary objective. We would like to see Australia take action that would truly bring security to the region and the planet. We call on the Australian government (and the state governments sponsoring this event) to divest their funding from military might and to invest in a future that will leave something positive for future generations: social justice, education, welfare, the environment, and peace.
We invite individuals and organisations to endorse this statement and to join us in taking action. Email lwcwelcoming@gmail.com (more information below).
Endorsed by:
· Queensland Nuclear Free Alliance
· Revolutionary Socialist Party
Background: The Land Warfare Conference is the Australian Army’s annual planning and strategy meeting. Once exclusively involving Defence Force and government personnel it has been opened up to allow private sector participation. In the last week of October, heads of Army will meet with big business and academics to discuss Army strategy and policy with particular emphasis on its involvement in the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Arms dealers will be able to pitch their products of death and destruction directly to the conference allowing aspects of army policy to be set by the public relations and advertising campaigns of arms dealers.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians and soldiers have been killed in the illegal and unjustifiable occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan and these vultures of free enterprise are sitting in the driver’s seat ready to take as much profit as they can. We’ve got a better plan for the Australian Defence Force – bring all the troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan now!
TAKE ACTION: Last month the South Australian Government called off hosting the Asia Pacific Defence and Security Exhibition in November because it didn’t want the embarrassment of protestors from across the country highlighting the close relationship the Rann government wants to establish with arms dealers.
The Land Warfare Conference Welcoming Committee plans to generate similar scrutiny and public awareness of what will be happening inside the Convention Centre on October 27-31.
The Land Warfare Conference Welcoming Committee is calling for action in opposition to the conference throughout the last week of October. We encourage people from around Australia who oppose these wars and the companies who profit from them to come and join us in loud and colourful protest.
Join us – and play your part in bringing the warmongering to an end!
For more information or to indicate your support for the planned protests please contact
Hamish on t) 0401 586 923 or Robin t) 0411 118 737
Email lwcwelcoming@gmail.com