By Iain McIntyre. Unemployed activists across Victoria were severely repressed by police and right-wing paramilitaries from the beginning of the Great Depression. The head of police General Thomas Blamey, who was also the leader of the quasi-fascist White Army, used the Political Squad to violently break up street meetings and protests. Forced out of speaking […]
Tag: Noel Counihan
Lock Out the Landlords : The Barkly Street Commune
By Iain McIntyre. In late 1930 a number of single unemployed men set up what were essentially communal households in Barkly Street. These households formed the backbone of many of the militant demonstrations and anti-eviction actions that took place in the area. As a result they were placed under regular police surveillance. Most of the […]
Lock Out the Landlords : Anti-Eviction Protest, 1932
By Iain McIntyre. Eviction resistance, which had begun in Brunswick with a successful protest in 1930, continued during 1931 and 1932. These actions drew large numbers and one in Larnoo Avenue in Brunswick West saw 1000 people force a Bailiff to sign an agreement stating that “he would not act in such a capacity again […]