Published: 24 Nov 2023
MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA
STATEMENT
24 NOVEMBER 2023
MARITIME WORKERS STAND FOR PEACE
The Maritime Union of Australia has an unmatched record of solidarity, support and action alongside people suffering atrocities, fleeing violence and resisting oppression. For 150 years, our Union has taken a leadership role in the peace movement, against violence, imperialism, arms proliferation and apartheid wherever it exists.
Australian maritime workers are appalled by the violence, murder and destruction being wrought throughout the Middle East in recent weeks and months. The Union calls for an immediate and enduring ceasefire. We call for an immediate release of all hostages. We call for an end to the blockade of Gaza.
Citizens of Gaza live in one of the most densely populated cities on the planet. Two million people in an area the size of Canberra must not be cut off from food, medicine, fuel and other human essentials. Critical infrastructure, including power and water, must be restored immediately.
The Union has always opposed the illegal occupation of Palestine, and we stand in solidarity with all people – including Israelis, Palestinians and people throughout the Middle East – who are committed to peace, equality and justice.
We support the peaceful assemblies and demonstrations throughout Australia which call for an end to hostilities in Palestine and Israel. We call on state governments and the various police services throughout Australia to facilitate these peaceful assemblies without escalating or provoking conflict.
The MUA will never accept political restrictions on the right to protest, the right to gather peacefully, and the right to political expression – these are fundamental to democracy. We further call on the Australian Federal Government to adopt a stronger, bi-partisan approach to promote peace in the Middle East for all working class Israelis and Palestinians and their families who have borne the brunt of this conflict for generations.
Paddy Crumlin Warren Smith Adrian Evans
National Secretary Deputy National Secretary Assistant National Secretary
Chris Cain
National Secretary, CFMMEU
Jamie Newlyn Mich-Elle Myers Thomas Mayo
Assistant National Secretary Assistant National Secretary Assistant National Secretary
Jason Miners Glen Williams Paul Keating
Queensland Branch Secretary Newcastle Branch Secretary Sydney Branch Secretary
Scott Carter Robert Lumsden Jason Campbell
Port Kembla Branch Secretary Victoria Branch Secretary Tasmanian Branch Secretary
Brett Larkin Will Tracey Andy Burford
South Australia Branch Secretary Western Australia Branch Secretary Northern Territory Branch Secretary
