Providence put it there for the world to see that the violent anarchy engulfing anti-Hanson rallies is not a spontaneous expression of anger from a disillusioned citizenry but a deliberate and well-organised campaign by people whose ultimate goal is to smash the capitalist system.

In Keith Warburton's case, they smashed (his) skull as he left Dandenong's One Nation meeting on Monday night.

He said he had gone to his first political meeting to see what Ipswich Independent MP Hanson was all about. As he was leaving, three men aged between 25 and 35 called him "racist" and "Nazi" and attacked him.

"I'm just an individual without political leanings," he said from Dandenong Hospital. "An attack like this is just not Australian, where we believe in freedom of speech."

Although police have yet to identify Warburton's assailants from photographs taken at the scene, it is clear they came from the ranks of 1500 anti-Hanson protesters who had whipped themselves into a fury and pelted those attending the One Nation meeting with eggs and bags of urine.

According to organisers of One Nation and the socialist youth organisation Resistance, three groups have been involved in stirring up strife at rallies. There is Resistance itself, which has about 600 members nationwide mostly on university campuses and is the youth arm of the Democratic Socialists. There is the small political party Militant, based in Melbourne. And there is the International Socialist Organisation, with about 300 members whose newspaper the Socialist Worker is handed out at anti-Hanson rallies and whose presses mass produce posters with slogans such as "Close down One Nation".

There are other groups too, such as Angry People, anarchists who love disruption. Umbrella group, Campaign Against Racism, was formed last year specifically to combat Hanson.

Ian Rintoul, spokesman for the International Socialist Organisation, says about 20% of the protesters at Dandenong on Monday or Canberra on Tuesday were members of organisations. The rest, he says, were people concerned about a rise in racism. "We don't condone individual vigilant acts against Hanson supporters," he says. "But we are for militant protests and mass action to close meetings down."

One Nation national director David Ettridge describes the bulk of the protesters as "rent-a-hooligans" who are bussed around to One Nation meetings. "There's no integrity to the protests. There's nothing accidental about it," he says. "They're trying to give the impression this is a spontaneous community reaction but they're just hoodlums looking for somewhere to be civilly disobedient. They blame successive governments from problems like youth unemployment and they've chosen to focus on us."

Peter Boyle, national spokesman for the Democratic Socialists, says there have been "differences of opinion" between anti-Hanson organisations over the escalation of violence.

"Our position is we're interested in peaceful protest. We're not interested in closing down the meetings, which is what others want. They're into revolution."

Among the protesters are peaceful people registering their disapproval of racism. But the images that endure of a man bleeding on the ground, of young faces contorted in ugly hate, screaming abuse and spitting at police.

It enhances Hanson's image as a besieged martyr fighting for free speech. After the violence at Dandenong, One Nation phones rang hot with new recruits, says Ettridge. Their message: "If that's what your opponents look like and behave like, we're on your side."

I am a major supporter of the One Nation party. I am greatly involved in the setting up of a local branch. I enjoy your commentary of the ON meetings but may I suggest one thing, When you talk about the people entering the meeting why do you always call them supporters, A lot of these people are just open minded people who would like to further their knowledge of the party, that doesn't class them as supporters.

Keep up the good work, it is a top site for us Supporters too keep informed of the progress of the party.

Thanks
Steve

Subject: Launch of One Nation at Dandenong

I attended the protest at Dandenong. I was protesting, as i believed i was doing my part in standing up against racism and racist beliefs. I was not surprised the coverage by the media took the direction it did, the cameras are always shut off during address to the crowds. Where i believe the real issues are brought up and publicised. It was unfortunate that projectiles were thrown and a man was assaulted, i believe, although i was amongst the protesters, as it just hampered the image of the protest. I was extremely encouraged by the diversity of age and ethnicity amongst the crowd. I met several elderly men and women in the 60's and 70's, as well as children in their late single digits.

In regards to the ever popular criticism of the rowdy "rent-a crowd" i say that it is simply a different political action. Like Marxist and socialists political ideology, radical and revolutionary action is held very dearly. The fact that these "crowd" are attending the Hanson protests is because racism, a structural form of oppression conflicts with their values. It is not right for the media, nor one nation to criticise opposing methods of political activity in the manner it has as it further adds to the sensationalism and negativity, clouding the minds of people who do not think!

Yes i was proud to be there, standing in the cold taking part, doing my bit, being active. i did not throw eggs, i chose not to. i was proud be be alongside my chinese, jewish, gay and elderly fellow human beings, joining in the chorus against the unfair, racist, blame and oppression one nation is perpetuating.
I will be there again in Werribee next week. we are all humans. there is a definite gap between the ideology of one nation and what it actually claims.

And yes i HAVE read the maiden speech. It is something i would wipe my arse on.

Jason Keys

keys@minyos.its.rmit.edu.au