~ NYC Stands With Australia ~

Draconian lockdowns and human rights abuses are forging new citizen alliances globally that mirror the unity Occupy created in 2011

Saturday the protest gathered outside the Australian Embassy which is inside a posh office tower on 42nd Street branded with Wells Fargo Bank its anchor tenant. Because banks observe every holiday that involves money there’s a menorah and Christmas tree with an American flag between them.

Unfortunately their cultural tolerance doesn’t extend to the unvaccinated who are warned to mask before entering. If only Pfizer could profit from natural immunity.

Since the protest began at 4pm the daylight vanished quickly but the group outside was cheerful and boisterous with great support from passing traffic and NYPD blocking the bus lane to give the protesters a bigger area to spread out.

The main goal of any street action is to raise public awareness about the issues the media censor or spin or ignore without pressure. Maybe one hundred were at the Embassy, but they owned the Bus Lane and signs for an endless stream of Saturday night crosstown traffic got the message.

As New Yorkers we are constantly faced with promoters hustling us or handing out everything from food samples to discount coupons. We’re a jaded crowd, not easily engaged so it’s encouraging to see how many passersby stop and chat.

Of course New Yorkers are known for expressing opinions and those show up on signs, stickers, buttons, flags and clothing. None of the pictures have been uploaded to Flickr yet and half of Sunday’s event is still in my camera. We’re closing in on tomorrow’s event so this is a mad dash to get something together before that.

Times Square had somewhere over 1,000 who listened to a series of speakers them marched crosstown on 42nd Street to the Embassy. One of the strangest, movie scene type things for me was the ABC News crawler that’s part of the backdrop you see with the ESPN on the far right of the frame.

Messages of tear gas used by police on protesters of the tyranical lockdowns, passports and medical mandates kept scrolling by in the background. A screenplay drops that kind of message as foreshadowing. It’s super creepy looking at NYC to a see a place I cannot recognise where “public health“ mandates ban me from sitting inside to have a coffee, see a movie or go to a museum or a lecture all because “public servants“ have redefined themselves as rulers on their Covid Fiefdoms.

The yellow stars seem more appropriate every week. Australia has COVID Camps and you don’t need a positive test or infection to be locked up. In Austria a politician is calling to abolish Nuremberg prohibitions and have forced injections.

As the inflation soars and robs workers of buying power the elite squeeze the last gasp of the markets before the big funds managing 401K plans tell retirees they’re holding the bag. Sorry, who knew?

As if the parallels to the dark chapters of the past aren’t strong enough the UK High Court upheld the extradition of Julian Assange on Espionage charges for publishing evidence of war crimes. The war criminals thrive with Board seats and book deals.

Thank Obama for resurrecting the 1917 Espionage Act and distorting the intent to prosecute whistleblowers. Using this against a foreign citizen for truthful information that Uncle Sam doesn’t like sets a precedent for global jurisdiction. Australia has been shameful in its failure to defend the human rights of its own citizens and now those who said nothing for Julian have also become targets. Just to keep us safe.

Citizens of the world have had quite enough and standing up in record numbers. When the government fears the people there is freedom and when we the people fear the government there is tyrany. It’s not hard to choose which we prefer.

When a man universally loathed by the city he “serves“ can impose medical apartheid, in his final days in office, something has gone very wrong with the allowable powers of his office. Early in the 2020 lockdown BeBlasio declared a curfew for NYC to “protect New Yorkers from violence“ and a few thousand showed up at Gracie Mansion at 10pm curfew time and made noise until 5am. After a few nights curfew rules ended.

Freedoms are under attack on many fronts but when we stand together we do prevail. As New Yorkers we want to give our support to others and a kick out the door to the almost former Mayor. While our individual beliefs may diverge greatly we need to come together in agreement that we do not stand on the side of the oppressors.

At some point over the weekend the SoS Australia series will get to Flickr and whatever happens tomorrow will be waiting in the camera. See you in the streets!