International Solidarity Dinner

SOLIDARITY DINNER

International Solidarity to Defeat Imperialism

Indonesia – Vietnam – Timor Leste

FOR A FREE PALESTINE TODAY

An evening to commemorate past international solidarity in Australia in support of national

liberation struggles as well as advocate support for solidarity to free Palestine today. Australian

trade unions, workers, youth and other common people campaigned seriously and enthusiastically

in support of Indonesian Independence between 1945-49, and between 1965-76 in support of

Vietnamese independence. This occurred again during the 1975-1998 period in support of East

Timorese (Timor Leste's) liberation. Today the Palestine Solidarity movement is growing around the

world, but much more is needed to break ties and defeat Israel.

Voices from:

• The Indonesian Labour Movement – a message and short documentary from the Federation of Militant Trade Unions.

In person speakers:

• Timor Leste – Cheago "Agus" Perez , from the Socialist Party of Timor

and

• Shamikh Badra, International Committee, Peoples Party of Palestine.

Also

• Solidarity Video Message from Vijay Prashad, Director, Tricontinental Institute.

Hosted by RED SPARK

Full Indonesian Meal
Vegetarian/Vegan dishes available

Live music

& Time to relax and chat with speakers and participants

Tickets

General Admission - $30
Concession - $20
High school students - $15
Solidarity price - $50

To bypass booking fee, please use direct bank transfer:

Account Name: Red Spark

BSB: 923100

Account Number: 31645909

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General Admission Amount: $30

Description: *(please put your name in description)*

Group bookings available

Funds raised will go for food and water for children in Gaza via the Gaza Nippers Program

ADVANCE BOOKINGS WILL HELP US ORGANISE

Shamikh Badra is a Palestinian researcher, activist, and PhD candidate at the University of Wollongong. He is a member of the International Relations Committee of the Palestinian People’s Party and is part of the elected leadership for the Middle East region in the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY). Shamikh co-founded the Northern Beaches Committee for Palestine in Sydney and the Gaza Nippers program, which introduces surf lifesaving to children in Gaza as a form of resilience and community care under siege. His research focuses on diplomatic resistance and settler colonialism in Palestine. He holds a Master’s in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Sydney, and has been published in State Crime Journal and in global academic collections on state violence and crisis. His work bridges theory and practice, from contributing to the intellectual foundations of Gaza’s Great March of Return to leading national unity efforts in Palestine. 

Cheago "Agus" Perez
Agus, as he is known, has been active in the Socialist Party of Timor (PST) since before 2000. During the past 25 years, he has played a leading role in the Socialist Union of Workers and Farmers (SUWF), a trade union affiliated to the PST. During the United Nations Administration (UNTAETY) up until 2002, he was one of the union worker representatives on the committee oversighting worker affairs and conditions. Agus was at school during the Indonesian occupation of Timor Leste, his family having been forcibly removed from their village to a base camp in the 1980s. His parents and brothers were all farmers and live stock herders. After the fall of Suharto in 1998, he was in Indonesia and made contact with Timorese and Indonesian activists. He campaigned to get the Timorese diaspora in Indonesia, especially South Kalimantan, to vote for Independence in the 1999 Referendum. After returning to Timor Leste, he made contact again with other activists who had returned to Timor from Indonesia. He became active in the workers sector and coopted on to the Arbitration Commission formed under the UNTAET administration as one of the representatives. He remained on the Commission until Covid, but has since prioritised union work in his position of Secretary General of the SUWF. Most worker disputes in Timor are in the services and retail sector, as Timor has almost no manufacturing. Most of the union work is representing workers in these sectors in disputes with employers, although there have also been cases of advocacy for workers detained in protests. Agus is also a member of the Central Committee of the Socialist Party of Timor (PST) which is active campaigning for a cooperatives-based economy. The PST had one member of parliament during 2002-2007 but is not presently represented in parliament but has won elections at the neighbourhood and village level.

Ilham Jimbo is Secretary of the Federation of Militant Trade Unions (SeBumi) and International Officer for the Confederation of Indonesian Workers Front (KBBI). Jimbo comes from a working-class family. He has worked for over for over twenty years as a factory worker and casual labourer. An early love for literature since childhood led him to left wing readings which ultimately deepened his understanding and class consciousness. Active involvement in the labour movement began when he organised coworkers to form a trade union in 2014. That experience became the foundation for active participation in trade unions at the federation and confederation levels up to the present. The SeBumi union has membership in 9 major cities on the island of Java. Many of the members are women working in textile, garment and shoe sectors.

We will be also hearing from Vijay Prashad in the form of a video message.

Chair: Yaye W.

Yaye is a multidisciplinary designer, artist, and member of Red Spark’s Melbourne Branch Executive. Arriving in Australia from a small town in Northeast China at 17, her journey - including Communication Design studies at Monash University and revolutionary activism - solidified her commitment to art and design as tools for revolutionary work. She is particularly interested in Global South solidarity, China's development, and freedom for Palestine.