What strange fruit is being seen on our streets?

Some protestors in Melbourne took to the streets with a gallows pole on the weekend. Photo: Herald Sun

‘Tis more than passing strange that of the manner in which to rid the world of the Premier Daniel Andrews, democracy protesters at the weekend demonstrated to lynch him out.

Hardly seems the democratic thing to do. They could just cast their vote. But no that’s rather silent, passive, non-demonstrative. Let’s wear t-shirts and carry a gallows pole with three nooses attached.

What is not passing strange, because I’m going to generalise here against all the dictates of fairness, is that quite a few of the demonstrators at the weekend, and more than likely other protests these past few months, might have absorbed the stream of idiocy flowing from the United States. How else to explain the symbolism of the noose around Andrews’ neck or the gallows being carried in the demonstration?

Hangings were a part of Australia’s justice system until 1967 when Ronald Ryan was hanged at Melbourne Gaol, the last man hanged in this country – not far from Saturday’s events, as it happens. From Federation to his death more than 100 criminals were hanged. Ryan’s death was more than 50 years ago.

Of course, the benefit of the doubt could be given that the hanging motif was just symbolism. The world is in the midst of a pandemic that’s killed five million people. No one would want the death of another, whatever their political views.

It’s just that a cause is never served when the symbolism used for that cause evokes violence; lynchings, for instance. Hanging is a violent death, known as the “hangman’s fracture”. The trapdoor opens, the person falls until the rope reaches its end and tightens, and then the neck and head snap. That’s the humane way of doing it. There was also the rope over the tree branch approach.

Jazz legend Billie Holiday in 1939 sang of it in Strange Fruit, which was written by Abel Meerepol.

Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swingin’ in the Southern breeze
Strange fruit hangin’ from the poplar trees.

Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck
For the rain to gather
For the wind to suck
For the sun to rot
For the tree to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop.

For just one decade in American history, from 1865 (when slavery officially came to an end) to 1876, 2000 black Americans, men, women and children were lynched. And from 1877 to 1950 there were 4400.

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So, to have such imagery on the streets of Melbourne is well beyond ratbaggery, well beyond historical ignorance. Again, giving them the benefit of making a point, perhaps they were/are at the end of their rope. Too much of everything is ruining their lives.

It’s no surprise Craig Kelly was there, nor that he shouted this: “We are being governed by medical bureaucrats that are part of a mad, insane cult of vaccinists.”

There’s the sound of reason.

Mad. Insane. Cult of Vaccinists.

And people cheered.

Liberal oddity Bernie Finn was also there. The bill for which they were ostensibly protesting against was “evil”.

The bill, which has passed the lower house and is set to go before the upper house this week, will allow the health minister and the premier (and of course Andrews won’t be there forever, it may be a Liberal) to declare a “state of pandemic”, allowing powers to be issued to restrict activities.

Lawyers are concerned by it. The Victorian Bar Association and 60 queen’s counsels have backed a letter, reported by the LawyersWeekly website that says in part: “It is, in our view, no answer to these criticisms to say that the bill contains more safeguards than presently exists for the emergency powers under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008. The emergency powers are just that – extraordinary powers that are available to be exercised for only a very short period.

“It is one thing to allow temporary rule by decree to deal with an unforeseen and extraordinary emergency in circumstances of extreme urgency. It is something else altogether to entrench rule by decree as a long-term norm. In our view, this is antithetical to basic democratic principles and should not be allowed to happen.”

The government has responded that the bill “reflects the best components of public health responses from Australian and international jurisdictions and enables the use of the unique powers needed to manage pandemics. The powers in the bill are no different to those that other jurisdictions, including around Australia and New Zealand have available to respond to public health emergencies such as a pandemic.”

The protesters said at the weekend they planned to camp out on the steps of Parliament to make their presence felt. And that’s the strength of democracy. They can, and they won’t be executed for it.

Will the gallows pole be there? Possibly, unless said holder of it has to work one supposes. Then again perhaps they could show their anger with a different poll.

And leave the lynching to the dustbin of history.