History of Palm Sunday

Corroboree 200 Walk

George Turner, a Presbyterian minister says that "Jesus was a very angry man as he went into Jerusalem that day so, in many ways, what happened on that Palm Sunday was indeed a protest march or a demonstration - a demonstration of anger that would, of course, ultimately bring him into conflict with the religious authorities of the day."

Source: http://www.ptbo.igs.net/~stpauls/sermons2001/protest.htm

The nuclear disarmament rallies ran strongly for ten years in Australia, spurred initially by the posturing of the Reagan Administration. An international tradition of Easter Sunday peace demonstrations had grown up in western Europe, but the choice of Palm Sunday is unique to Australia. It remains a uniting force for people of diverse opinions and political creeds. The ALP was in power for most of this time in Australia, brought in by support of groups such as PND who had hopes for a more independent foreign policy from the ALP. By 1985 this hope had evaporated, and Bill Hayden's message as Foreign Minister to the Sydney rally in 1985 got a huge round of boos if I remember rightly.
Protest marches have combined campaigns for Aboriginal rights and anti-nuclear elements. The campaign against the Jabiluka mine in the Northern Territory was the focus in 1999 for Palm Sunday rallies.

Established Churches in Australia claim Palm Sunday as having developed special significance because it is the best example of ecumenical co-operation in Australia. A lot of meaning is invested in the day by lots of people.

Unions have been involved in the anti-nuclear protests since the debate about uranium exports in the mid 1970s, and involved heavily in peace protests since the Vietnam War. As the ACTU policy says, Peace is Union Business. Key donors of time and resources have been the AMWU, the BWIU, FEDFA (now part of the CFMEU), NSW Teachers Federation and the PKIU (now part of the AMWU). The role of Bob Hawke as president of the ACTU in promoting uranium mining and exporting was important in galvanising opposition. The Victorian branch of the ALP in particular was very critical of Hawke in 1977. The union and peace movement campaigns gradually swung public opinion on the issue from strongly in favour to disapproval, according to Greg Adamson's summary articles in Green Left Weekly in 1999. The peace movement he saw as finally getting its act together in 1978, after years of activity on many fronts.

Unions over the next few years, where they maintained opposition to uranium (despite ACTU support for existing contracts), used their strategic positions to disrupt transport of material through ports and on streets. Local governments also responded to public pressure. We saw lots of councils declaring Nuclear free Zones which made moving yellow cake to ports a difficult proposition.

To have faith in the ALP after betrayals on the issue of contracts, changing their policy on mines in 1982 (the infamous policy to get Roxby Downs underway, on the spurious basis that it was a gold mine principally) was stretching it. The rise of the Nuclear Disarmament Party in the early eighties was a sign of disillusionment with the ALP at the time. They got a senator up in WA and almost got Peter Garrett elected in NSW. It was non sectarian initially (sectarianism amongst left groups led to its demise a few years later)

The ongoing importance of the first Palm Sunday, when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, which some of his disciples at least saw as part of a campaign against imperialism and war is seen in the comments of United Methodist Women who make the same links between Jesus' quest and the compassion needed today, after September 11 and other atrocities.

"Jesus wept over Jerusalem. He wept over its impending wounds and attacks. His heart broke in compassion and tenderness, but Jesus did not stop there. His kindness is always interspersed with justice. He asked why Jerusalem did not know the things that make for peace. Tears of compassion led to a question of justice".

The Palm Sunday 2002 Committee is convened by Bruce Childs, Rev Ray Richmond and Alsion Lyssa.