friends of the earth adelaide!

Palm Sunday Peace Carnival!

Tarndanyangga/Victoria Square became the site of the 2007 Palm Sunday Peace Carnival. Falling on April Fools Day, the Carnival was a perfect opportunity to call for a clean, responsible response to climate change rather than involving Australia further in the nuclear fool cycle; and to call for the ALP to retain its long-standing 'no-new-uranium-mines' policy.

With performances from local musicians including cult childrens' performer Peter Combe, acoustic groover Heather Frahn, hip-hop outfit Poetikool Justice, funk band Star Step Evolution, the classic Trade Union Choir, Raw Honey's Miranda Bradley and Adelaide music scene veteran Soursob Bob and Emma Luker, and ringed by community stalls, hundreds of people passed through the carnival over the afternoon.

The carnival paraded around the square to the State Administration Centre where nuclear free campaigner David Noonan (Australian Conservation Foundation) gave an overview of the current state of SA's uranium industry. At this, the crowd promptly collapsed into a mass die-in in protest of Premier Mike Rann's moves to expand uranium mining in South Australia.

Dr. Jason Garrood (Medical Association for the Prevention of War), Rev. Dr. Lee Levett-Olson (Uniting Church), indigenous lawyer and academic Dr. Irene Watson and acclaimed author Nicholas Jose delivered speeches, with Sarah Hanson-Young (Greens), Ruth Russell (Democrats), Steve Georganas and Steph Key (ALP) and Kris Hanna (Independent) offering their points-of-view in a 'Politician's Open Mike' (all political parties were invited to present, but some failed to show).

Friends of the Earth Adelaide was one of over 25 environmental, community, political, church and residents' groups involved in organising the Palm Sunday Peace Carnival. Nationally, over 90 organisations were involved in endorsing and coordinating events in 11 cities and towns. More information can be found at http://www.nuclearfoolsday.org.