<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/nov/08/sydney-weapons-expo-sold-as-solutions-no-mention-of-people-they-target>
"Inside the heavily guarded, aseptically cool halls of the Indo-Pacific
International Maritime Exposition, Australia’s defence minister, Richard
Marles, describes it as, for some in the room, “a kind of Disneyland … the
happiest place on Earth”.
Standing outside, facing barricades and a broad line of armed police, those
protesting the very presence of the arms conference in Sydney view it as
anything but.
“War criminals are not welcome here,” rings the chant. “Shame, shame, shame.”
Some protesters carry doves on sticks, others signs condemning those inside:
“You can’t bomb the truth away.”
Suddenly, the confrontation turns violent. “Police attacked us from all
different angles,” protesters will later say. Officers were “set upon”,
according to police.
Demonstrators are pepper sprayed. There are injuries on both sides.
Inside, Marles continues: “Over the course of the next three days, this is an
invaluable and incredibly worthwhile opportunity, because it is a moment where
we can compare notes with our fellow navies around the world around shared
challenges, but it’s also a moment when we can speak to industry about the kind
of capabilities that we will need to see.”
He says the Indo-Pacific exposition will showcase “an incredible display of
what our industry can produce; awesome power, ingenious autonomous systems and
craft of all shapes and sizes which span the breadth of the beautiful, the
menacing and the extremely cool.
“And all of it is on display, the very best of human ingenuity.”
The protests and the platitudes: these are the two sides of Indo-Pacific 2025,
acutely controversial as war rages undimmed in Ukraine and a fragile ceasefire
officially “holds” in Gaza, despite continued bombardment.
It is no mere disconnect. These are two worldviews that can barely comprehend,
let alone understand, each other: two irreconcilable universes."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
