Kids shunning militarism in Melbourne
Two primary school students in outer Melbourne have stood up for workers' rights and against militarism.
Zola and Jet both participated in a workshop at the Marxism 2015 Kids Program, which discussed the real history of ANZAC Day, including the suffering and resistance of both soldiers and the populations at home.
Incensed by the constant barrage of ANZACkery at school, eight year old Zola questioned why only soldiers' deaths are remembered and glorified. Her mother, a socialist, mentioned the Stand for Safety campaign to honour International Workers' Memorial Day and encouraged her to email Australian Unions for ideas.
To her delight, Jess from the CFMEU wrote back straightaway suggesting that Zola and her class could take pictures of their shoes and pencil cases (their tools) as part of the nationwide social media campaign highlighting the thousands of workers injured and killed each year at work. They also sent union safety stickers for distribution in class. Zola's teacher, an AEU member, supported her proposal and Zola worked all weekend on a presentation for her class, with the result that all but two of her classmates joined in the photo shown above.
In the meantime, eleven year old Jet was furious that most of a whole school day was taken up by lie after lie about Gallipoli. Her class was solemnly informed that "We wouldn't be the country we are today if it wasn't for the Anzacs fighting in Gallipoli" and no mention was made of Turkish casualties or the fact that their country was being invaded. When the class was then required to spend two writing sessions writing a story from the perspective of an ANZAC soldier, Jet and a classmate asked if they could write from the Turkish perspective – and took to that task with gusto, Jet correcting all the omissions from the official account.
Stories like this show two things. Firstly, the oppressive nature of the school system and the one-sided school curriculum. Just as journalists can be sacked for tweeting their opinions about militarism, the school system rarely incorporates working class or internationalist perspectives into its teaching of history. Secondly, it reminds us that kids are capable of fighting for their point of view and relish the chance to argue for their opinions. Of course, not all kids will necessarily hold left-wing politics, but those who do should be celebrated when they have the courage and passion to stand up against the official narrative.
As their mother says: "We're bringing our children up to be class conscious and union proud. They already know which side they're on."
If you're in Melbourne on Sunday 3 May, march with the Socialist Alternative Red Bloc in the annual May Day march, where the kids will display the banner they painted at Marxism.
