A special, memorial lecture by Max Lane will be held in memory of John Percy in Melbourne on August 20, the tenth anniversary of his death. Percy (1945 – August 19, 2015) was a socialist, activist, and founding member of the Socialist Workers Party (later renamed the Democratic Socialist Party – DSP) in 1972. Among the important figures on the Australian socialist left in the later part of the Twentieth Century Percy remained a Marxist revolutionary leader throughout his life.

The DSP and Percy held international solidarity as central to developing the revolutionary movement in Australia and played leading roles in solidarity campaigns against the Vietnam war and for East Timor. The memorial lecture by Dr Max Lane, held on the tenth anniversary of Percy’s passing, will outline the history of important post-war international solidarity campaigns – not only those supported or led by the DSP but also the Communist Party of Australia and others.

The Memorial Lecture: Anti-Imperialist Solidarity Campaigns in Australia: Indonesia, Vietnam, Timor Leste and Palestine today

In post-war Australia, solidarity movements have opposed imperialist oppression. From 1942-1946, trade unions imposed a major black ban on Dutch ships to support the Indonesian republican movement. In the 1960s and 1970s, unions, churches, students, and the Left protested the US and Australian war in Vietnam. From the mid-1970s and re-surging in the 1990s, Timorese refugees and Australian allies, including the Left, backed the Timorese liberation movement, opposing Australian support for Indonesia’s Suharto regime. Concurrently, a campaign supported Indonesia’s democratic movement. Today, global and local solidarity with the Palestinian liberation movement demands an end to military and diplomatic ties with Israel. The Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Timorese movements succeeded, though new challenges persist, while the Palestinian struggle continues.

What can we learn from all these experiences about Australia and the world that may help the movement today for Palestine?

John Percy

Percy was a lifelong Marxist, he played a key role in far-left politics, advocating for anti-war, workers’ rights, and anti-imperialist movements. He was one of the first people to ever be arrested by police for demonstrating against the Vietnam war. Later he served as the National Secretary of the Democratic Socialist Party (DSP) from the 1990s up to 2007. Percy authored several works on socialist theory and history, including History of the Democratic Socialist Party and Resistance: 1960–2002 (three volumes). After 2007, he was involved in establishing the Revolutionary Socialist Party which fused with Socialist Alternative in 2013 before many former RSP members left. In his final years Percy focused his energies on solidarity with Vietnam, campaigning for US compensation for the damage caused by Agent Orange, and Solidarity with Cuba.

Max Lane

Dr Max Lane is a socialist activist and writer known for his expertise on Southeast Asian politics, particularly Indonesia. He has been active in political solidarity with liberation movements in Indonesia, Timor Leste and the Philippines since the 1970s. As a leader of the Democratic Socialist Party, he wrote on Southeast Asian Affairs for Green Left Weekly from 1990-2007. His works include Unfinished Nation: Indonesia Before and After Suharto (2008) and Indonesia Out of Exile (2024). In 2024, he was awarded the Timor Leste Medal of Honour for his solidarity work with Indonesia and Timor Leste. Lane became a close collaborator of Percy after he joined the Socialist Workers Party in the early 1980s until Percy’s death. He is a founding member of Red Spark.

Details

The seminar is for anyone, especially the new generation of revolutionaries, who wish to learn more about the history of internationalism among Australian working people and of the socialist movement in Australia. Time will be available for questions and discussion.

Wednesday August 20 – 6pm to 8pm
Kathleen Syme Library, Carlton (in person)

The lecture will be in-person only, though a video reproduction is planned. It is part of a four part Anti-imperialism Seminar Series organised by Red Spark in Melbourne, see red-spark.org/event/10577

For more information about the seminar series or If you would like copies of Percy’s History of the Democratic Socialist Party and Resistance: 1960–2002 contact Red Spark at communication@red-spark.org