March in March, small but strong

BY JESSICA HILL

The Sydney March in March didn’t live up to the success it had in 2014 but organisers and protesters still believe it’s an effective way to drive change.

Jessie-Lee Peacock, Sydney March in March Organiser, said there were less people in attendance than in previous years.

“It wasn’t the huge resounding success that the March in March 2014 was but it was certainly not a flop at all either.

“We would’ve liked to have seen more people there,” she said.

The March in March 2014 was a nationwide protest which attracted thousands of Australians marching against Federal government policies.

Mums4Refugees, a grassroots network campaigning for social justice for asylum seekers and refugees, were one of the groups who attended the March in March this year.

Mums4Refugees activist, Dulce Munoz, said the focus should not be on whether the march was a success in terms of the number of attendees.

She said events like the March in March are about exercising your rights and demanding better solutions.

“Every march is a lesson to be learned and opportunity to engage new members, to share our message and also it’s an opportunity to teach our kids the values of solidarity and compassion.

“We participated at the March because we believe in social change, in the power of unity and in the importance of participation and empowerment.

“We are responsible for our democracy, and we teach our kids by example, we stand up to bullies, to injustice, we have a powerful voice and we are using it,” she said.

Shaymaa Abdullah, who campaigns for issues such as Aboriginal affairs, Islamophobia and racism, believed the March in March was a success.

“It’s a way of addressing the government issues that affect our quality of life or infrastructure upgrades we don’t agree with.

“It’s great to have media coverage so our message has a greater chance of being heard,” she said.

Ms Abdullah said a rally alone is sometimes not enough to drive change.

“I have attended many rallies and I have seen some positive outcomes, but it all depends on how complex the issue is and how many people come together to raise their concerns,” she said.

Ms Peacock said organisers are in talks about whether the March in March is going to become an annual event.

“It would certainly be a positive move for the community.

“Networks are forming and there’s plans for future action beyond just protesting to actually make changes in the policies that we disagree with.

“They are going to look at what they can do in terms of submissions and there will be a public forum coming up first,” she said.

The March in March 2017 was held in Belmore Park in Sydney on Sunday 26th of March.