The Australian Federal Police surprised Houston peace activist Scott Parkin on Sept. 10 before an activism workshop. Shortly after this, he found himself stuck in solitary confinement at the Melbourne Custody Centre. Parkin’s incarceration and the seizure of his visa both occurred at the request of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization under suspicion of “politically motivated violence.”
From his arrival in Australia last June to his September deportation, Parkin has participated in three activities:
1) He rallied against the Forbes Chief Executives Conference in Sydney.
2) He protested U.S. multi-national corporation Halliburton at their Sydney headquarters.
3) He led workshops on trends in grass-roots activism and non-violent protest in Sydney and Brisbane.
Ed Board is worried about this.
The investigation of lawful protest is against ASIO’s policy. Scott Parkin has no history of violent protest and has publicly stated its futility. The most “violent” activities Parkin taught at the activism workshops were techniques to prevent being removed from a protest.
Despite the legality of his actions, Parkin was told that he had been “assessed as a ‘direct or indirect threat to national security'” and was detained and deported.
Ed Board fails to see what Parkins’ actions had to do with national security. He was there to expose the corruption of corporations, not the Australian government.
Ed Board has found no evidence that Forbes or Halliburton pressured the Australian government to detain Parkin but can derive few other reasons for this otherwise unfounded move. We know that Houston-based Halliburton is not beyond corruption between government and the private sector. Revolving-door profiteer Dick Cheney served as Halliburton’s CEO from 1995-2000 and receives $178,000 from them annually. Seeing that the company received the largest contract in Iraq and that their recent CEO is vice president of the country that invaded Iraq, even the government-faithful can’t help but scream “conflict of interest.”
Whether or not Halliburton had anything to do with Parkin’s deportation, the powers of national governments worldwide to detain individuals without expressed, legitimate reason is tyrannical. Secretive organizations like the CIA and ASIO should not have unchecked powers. Although withholding information from the public might keep it away from the terrorists, it also opens the door for massive abuse.
So, welcome back to Texas, Scott Parkin. Ed Board hopes you feel safer here.
