The Guardian 31 January, 2007
"Wear anti-war ribbon, not Howard’s flag",
says anti-war activists
Activists from Sydney University Anti War Action Group (AWAG) encouraged Big Day Out Festival concert goers in Sydney to wear purple anti-war ribbons instead of draping themselves in the Australian Flag. The Big Day Out Festival takes place in Sydney and Melbourne every year around Invasion Day (Australia Day).
"We completely support Big Day Out organisers and their decision to discourage the presence of the Australian Flags at the festival", said Paddy Gibson from AWAG.
"The flag is the symbol chosen by Howard for his war on the people of Iraq, which has killed close to 700,000 people.
"This war has been justified by an insidious anti-Muslim racism which has served to marginalise Arabs and Muslims and divide the Australian community.
"These actions were a flow on from the Cronulla riots, where the flag was flown while people were bashed because of the colour of their skin.
"We are calling on all people who support multiculturalism, oppose anti-Muslim racism and the war in Iraq to wear a purple ribbon rather than the flag and come to the big anti-war rally on March 17", said Dan Jones from AWAG.
"These ribbons symbolise a stance against the current war in Iraq and the racism it has spawned. They were last worn by many of the 500,000 participants in Sydney’s Walk Against the War in February 2003."