Dead Wombats Haunt Daishowa

On June 18 (international day against globalisation), activists from Melbourne and East Gippsland CHIPSTOP decided to dump 4 dead wombats (killed on logging roads) @ Melbourne's Stock Exchange. Here lies the Australian headquarters of ITOCHU, Daishowa's parent company. Coupe "waste" (burnt tree ferns!) was strewn about for an added landscaping effect.

Photograph - Yachi Akiyoshi

Horrified or confused, suits gaped at the jinker butchery, while others stared ahead in apparant "business as usual" denial, giving themselves away only when stench-induced gasps escaped. Someone asked, "shouldn't you bury them ?", while a heel-clad power dressin' babe asserted that if we wore perfume and donned nicer clothes we could hope to be taken far more seriously ! (She perhaps didn't realise that animals are killed to make many perfumes. Think about THAT before you waft down the street in a boquet of offle, luv.)

But m'am, what about the ISSUE ? Critter deaths and widespread forest destruction result directly from the greed of companies like the one behind these doors; and perhaps we look a little scruffy coz, we don't suck corporate dick to buy Armani. Taxes from YOUR hard earned dough (we won't ask what was exploited to get it..) subsidise the woodchip industry millions. The public's silent compliance and shady shares keep these corporate Big Boys afloat, and abloat, like parasites on Australia's life blood.

Yet even the most impervious of passers couldn't block out Izzy's repeated cry: "INVESTING IN WOODCHIPPING IS INVESTING IN DEATH !".

Other onlookers were thankfully more in tune with the message before them, eagerly accepting information. Meanwhile, the street was thick with cops, including about 5 mounted police just incase we violently rioted or brought out the heavy artillery. We'll save that one for another day. Photograph - Yachi Akiyoshi

Guru-Gav from TWS infiltrated ITOCHU's office and hung with the lads, before being given the boot. None of the Boys, however attempted to address the considerable crowd of protesters outside - their cowardice quite understandable in the face of the stinking truth !! Despite ITOCHU pretending it all didn't happen, the story made it into one of the Japanse daily papers as well as gaining ABC radio coverage here.

VERY DISHONOURABLE !

PS, We pay our respects to the wombats whose deaths were undignified but not in vain.