I am sending a brief report of May Day in Melbourne. As usual the priest-ridden slaves came thoroughly organised to attack and break up our Anarchist meeting, but we held the fort and kept the Red Flag of Anarchy flying for two hours. I spoke for an hour and obtained a good hearing. A lady comrade, Mrs. Barnes, followed. She made a strong attack on property and authority, which ought to have called forth loud cheers and applause; but she was speaking to superstitious Catholic slaves, not free men, so it had the opposite effect. By this time there were about 7,000 people round our platform, and a rush was made to upset it; but I had reckoned on that, and made the platform as firm as the Rock of Gibraltar. When they failed in their attempt, the stones commenced to fly, and two ladies climbed on the platform.
The police, seeing the danger, interfered. Then these godly Popish serfs, feeling they were helpless, contented themselves by singing and howling like hyenas. An old comrade, Montague Miller, who is seventy-six years old, gave a revolutionary speech, making a strong attack on religion and superstition. But the fat little priest had sent his Pope's lambs, or wolves rather, to rend us if possible. They howled and groaned and shook their fists like lunatics. I told them I pitied them, but not the black slugs of priests who had made them their dupes. By this time a number of our comrades had formed a cordon round the platform to keep off any who attempted to interfere with us, so we continued until five o'clock, when three mounted troopers came and made way for us and escorted us through the principal streets, followed by a flock of maniacs anxious to have the scalps of two helpless women and myself. This is what the priests are doing for Australia, they are trying to make it another Spain.
The Labour politicians, flushed with their victory, withdrew from the May Day demonstration the night before, their excuse being that the May Day Committee had withdrawn the compulsory arbitration clause from the platform. But the true reason was that the cowards were afraid of being connected with antimilitarism. The election was decided on what the Labour Party calls "New Protection." They received the support of the Melbourne Age, which is a strong Protectionist paper. This, coupled with the help of the priests, gave them their jobs in Parliament. The workers appear jubilant because they do not reason, but their joy will shortly turn to deep regret, and experience will teach them that to rely on Parliament is courting failure every time. I am advocating Direct Action, the General Strike and the Social Revolution, and will continue to do so as long as possible. One hopeful sign is the increasing number of ladies who are commencing to take up Anarchism in Australia. We have been trying to obtain a hall for Sunday night lectures, but the managers are afraid to let us one. However we shall continue to work for Anarchy and the Revolution.
J.W.Fleming,
Freedom (UK), July, 1910.
28 May 2000
