Organised by the WikiLeaks Australian Citizens Alliance in Melbourne, at 2 pm of Monday 26 November 2012 six citizens occupied the foyer of the AIA Australia building in 553 St Kilda Road without notice, donned orange coveralls in remembrance of the Gitmo victims of US injustice, and made their presence felt.

Another six stayed outside the building bearing witness to action with banners, placards and more orange suits.

Peacebus joined the action after the occupiers had entered the foyer, parked directly opposite the entrance, rigged the newly painted banner and put out Eureka flags in the courtyard.

Once set up, Peacebus.com captain (me), brought the Peacebus PA into action directing the horn speakers to the 6th floor of ther glass fronted building. The sound echoed all around and through the glass; it could be heard in the foyer, on the 6th floor where the US Consulate is housed and in the buildings beside and behind.

Being their fourth occupation of the US Consulate building, the WACA crew had become efficient and practised. So too the cops, both the VicPolice and the Australian Federal Police on guard outside. Neither were upset or alarmed by the action; they were in no way aggressive towards the protesters and slow to bring out the occupiers who were lying about the floor of the foyer for over 2 hours.

One arrest was made of an occupier but this for an incident associated with the alleged nicking of the handcuffs which were applied to her at her arrest at the previous action. Otherwise no arrests. Teams of cops carried the occupiers out one by one and lay them gently on the pavement of the courtyard.

It was 4.30 pm and the workers were being to depart the building. The occupiers moved to blockade the car park exit. The police patiently pulled them aside. The protesters out of symapthy with the workers did not persist.

The PA proved a boon (a boom?) and some excellent spruiking filled to street and gave us dramatic presence.

No hostile responses from the curious passing motoristas and pedestrains. To the contrary lots of thumbs up signals and shouts of "Good on you." (Be warned PM Gillard: your denial of Assange's rights as an Australian is an offense to the Australian people more profound than your high flying ALP power politics will ever know or understand).

At 5 pm the action packed up quickly and adjoined to a Thai cafe across the road for a debrief, tired but happy. It had been a good day, and we knew the happiness of solidarity in the season when we remember the courage and solidarity of the men of Eureka 158 years ago.

Graeme Dunstan
Peacebus.com
27 November 2012