Hi Peter,
great to hear from you and your successes on your side of the country.
We had chants going back and forth between detainees and protesters. As a di was the most popular, meaning freedom in Farsi. We had several speakers including Dr Judyth Watson (former minister for multicultural affairs), Ethnic COmmunities Council, Islamic Council, RRAN and Socialist Alliance.
The detainees kicked over a soccer ball with a t-shirt stuffed in it. The t- shirt had messages on it, begging for freedom and denouncing the conditions they are subjected to. Anyway, I've got to go, however I'll write soon to give you an update on what we have planned for the next few months.
Keep in touch
Sarah:)
Dear Peter, could you pass on RRANs congrats to all the RAC-VICers, you guys did a brilliant job. You should be proud of yourselves, also RRAN would like to extend a big thankyou for the free advertising! We had about 250 people turn up despite the fact that the weather was miserable (it rained pretty much all day). We marched through the city and assembled in Forrest Chase where we had speakers from the Greens, the Uniting Church, Amnesty International and RRAN. After this about 70 people headed out to the Perth detention centre to show our solidarity for the detainees inside.
The detainees were in the exercise yard so we were able to get chants going between us. They would chant freedom then we would chant freedom. We did some chants in Farsi and Jesse Ryder (solo artist) sang a song in Farsi - freedom is coming. The protestors joined in. The detainees kicked a soccer ball over the razor wire. The soccer ball had a banner stuffed inside it, made from a bedsheet and charcoal. The banner was written in English and pointed out the gross human rights violations within the centre and pleaded for help. Before we left we were able to present flowers and a soccer ball with messages written on it to an ACM official who presented it to the detainees.
That's just a quick update on what is going on, on our side of the country, We'd like to hear more about future plans RAC-VIC has and also details regarding the possibility of a national conference of which we would be in extreme support. National collaboration is the only way we can ensure this movement grows.
In Solidarity
Sarah Mills
RRAN
Anyway that's just a quick update on what has been happening on our side of the country. We'd really like to hear news from you of any other national actions
Back to top of pageMy name is Sarah Mills and I am from the Refugee Rights Action Network in Perth. [...] I'm not sure how much you know about what's going on on our side of the country so perhaps I should give you a run down of the past few weeks.
RRAN held a protest on the 21st of April outside the Perth detention centre. About 30 protestors gathered outside the loading gate where we could see into the center and the detainees could see us through slats in the windows. We did a bit of chanting and the detainees responded by chanting back: "we want our freedom", " stop treating us like animals, we're not criminals" etc. One detainee broke a window so that they could hang out t-shirts with messages written on them condemning their treatment as inhumane and a breach of human rights. We got quite a bit of media coverage including channels 7, 9 and the West Australian.
During the protest we exchanged names with the detainees by yelling over the razor wire topped fences and thus we have been able to visit several detainees and are in the process of setting up a visiting roster for all detainees. Detainees are facing shortages of clothing and phone cards, thus we have started a collection of money for phone cards and have been taking in clothes for detainees. One of the refugees, Stephen Khan, has written a statement on the "plight of detainees in the Perth detention centre" and wishes me to forward this to as many groups and individuals as possible. I have left it in his words [...]Feel free to use it anyway you like [...]
A little info on Stephen, if you are interested.( He doesn't mind if you use his name). Stephen is from Kashmir. He was involved in the pro-independance movement over there and had to flee India due to fear of political persecution. He was tortured for his involvement in the movement and his father was killed. He tried to relocate within India; however, he was hunted down there also. He has been in detention now for two years and eight months. He spent the first half of this in Port Hedland and has been in Perth Detention Center for about 20 months. He has had numerous letters written to the minister on his behalf by Amnesty International and other organisations. However, these have not been sucessful.
RRAN made an appearance at M1 in which we were given about 20 minutes on the stage in which we did a little skit, talked about the links between the campaign to free the refugees and the anti-corporate movement and promoted the national day of action on June the 3rd. For which we have planned a rally and march in city followed with convoys out to the detention centre.
RRAN has also organised a refugee rights forum at U[niversity of]W[estern]A[ustralia]. Speakers include Dr Judyth Watson (former minister for multicultural affairs), Dr Samina Yasmeen (political science lecturer), Roya (an Afghani refugee) and RRAN speakers. The forum is on the 14th of May. We would like to know what groups you are networking with for the national day of action. Who has endorsed it? I have written to Amnesty regarding the NDA but they havn't gotten back to me yet. Have they provided support for you? Anyway I'd better get going but you can email me via this address or phone me on 08 94091945.
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Hi everyone,
I wanted to give a short report back from the ACM Protest which
was on yesterday morning (May 17) in order to let people who
couldn't be there aware of what went on, and in order to provide,
perhaps, a starting point for discussions around plans for future
actions and things we would like to change/improve for any
upcoming actions.
The protest at ACM was a great victory in many ways for RAC. A representative of ACM publicly acknowledge our demands and promised that ACM would respond to those demands by June 3. Whether or not this occurs remains to be seen, however making contact with ACM in regards to condition inside detention centres was still big step forward. The protest was widely reported upon in the media, with most reports managing to move beyond the 'violent protestor' image to instead report on the acceptance by ACM of RAC's demands.
With this in mind, it would be good to think about where we want the campaign to go after June 3, and how we are going to go about it. The ACM blockade has also provided us with an opportunity to look at the tactics of how the protest was organised and conducted with a view to future protests being even more successful!
On the 17 of May, approximately 150 protesters gathered at Town Hall from 7.30 am, before marching to the offices of ACM at 8am. The building which houses ACM was heavily guarded by police from the TRG (Tactical Response Group), and most of the entrances were locked, with only the front doors on York St open for people to enter through. Blockades were not established immediately, but formed once it became clear that the police were trying to get employees into the building. The heavy police presence (which included, somewhat strangely, a contingent of about 10 horses) meant that the blockades were not able to completely prevent access to the building, however they did hold steadily despite much police pressure. Once again, police behaviour on the day has come under fire, with reports from protesters of sexual assault and racial abuse. There were also problems with police officers not wearing badges and using unnecessary force when dealing with protesters.
The Refugee Action Collective had appointed two members, Natasha Verco and Gigi Adair, to act as police liaison officers for the blockade. Despite prior assurances from Inspector Dave Darcy, however, the police were unwilling to liaise with protesters for at least the first hour of the protest. Once liaison with Inspector Ron Mason was established, however, we were able to successfully negotiate an agreement whereby a representative from ACM met with two RAC members and accepted RAC's demands. This was captured on video and widely reported in the media. Once this had occurred it was agreed by the protesters that the blockade should be disbanded and everyone left peacefully.
The morning was a great success, so it would be fantastic if we could use our experiences at ACM to plan for future actions. It has been suggested that this week's RAC meeting (Sunday 20/5, 2pm, Sydney Uni SRC) should be an opportunity to debrief after ACM and discuss strategy for the next few months of the campaign. It would be great to have as much input as possible into this discussion, so everyone is encouraged to come along and share their thoughts on where we should be going from here.
Thanks!
- Gigi
Here is the text of the message to refugees that 39 people signed at a stall at Dickson shops in Canberra on 6 January (Summernats weekend!). We haven't found a way to get it in yet, but you might find a place for it on the site.
Canberra, Saturday 6 January 2001
Dear Refugees,
Welcome to Australia!
We are sorry that the Australian Government is going to put you into a remote detention camp and make your lives miserable. We want them to respect your rights. We don't think you are 'illegal'.
Don't despair! We are fighting as hard as we can to get you out.
Your friends,
39 signatures, some illegible
30 August 2001
To Captain Arne Rinnan and crew
MV Tampa
Dear Captain Rinnan,
Please accept on behalf of the Socialist Alliance of Australia the deepest expressions of solidarity and friendship with yourself, your crew and the 438 refugees which you saved from a foundering Indonesian craft in accordance with the law of the sea and the requests of the Australian authorities.
We are also writing to inform you that the actions of the Howard government in ordering the piratical seizure of your vessel by the Australian Special Air Services has produced a deep wave of revulsion and shame among ordinary Australian people. The Alliance, along with a wide range of political, migrant, refugee and community organisations is presently organising to protest this disgraceful, inhumane action and to force the Australian authorities to allow the refugees you saved to disembark on Australian soil.
Even the government itself is unsure of the legality of its actions. For this reason it has tried to rush through the Australian parliament legislation that it feels will strengthen its position in law. Whatever the outcome of that move, it can never eliminate the stain of shame produced by this cruel and brutal act of piracy.
Our thoughts are with you in what any normal, decent human being can well imagine is a very trying time. We admire your courage and principle in refusing to take the Tampa into international waters at a time when the lives of so many people are at stake. You, your crew and the refugees you saved have our full solidarity.
We will also communicate this message to the people of Norway, so that they too can understand that the brutal, inhumane and piratical action of the Australian government does not enjoy the support of masses of ordinary Australian citizens. We stand with you and your crew against thi
Rest assured in this dificult hour that the Socialist Alliance along with all other decent forces in Australian politics and society will be doing everything in their power to bring the crisis of the Tampa to a favourable conclusion.
Resolution adopted at protest rally outside the Office of the Prime Minister, Philip Street, Sydney, Australia, August 30, 2001.
4. Contact details for solidarity messages to MV Tampa
Contact with the Tampa is being handled by the public relations firm FCR. Messages of support can be sent as follows:
Via [email protected] or [email protected]
Fax: 02-9235 1920
Dear All,
Here is a report of the rally in Canberra today...(from Paul Obohov in
Canberra)
The refugee rally here in Canberra at 12:30pm today (Friday 31 August) went really well, with maybe 500 people turning up, taking up most of the space in Garema Place, the central plaza of Canberra.
Kevin Buzzacott, of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, spoke of the impact of racism as expressed through mining companies on his people and their land in the South Australian desert.
Dissident ALP Senator Barney Cooney spoke about the basic humanitarian issue of not leaving a group of refugees afloat on the high seas. He also attacked the notion of leaving refugees to rot in detention centres. He stated that this is a "mainstream" view, and would win people over in the end, just as happened in the Communist Party Dissolution Bill in the 1950's. He also said that refugees expect Australia to carry out its own laws, ie its signing up to the UN convention on refugees.
ACT Trades and Labour Council Secretary Jeremy Pyner said that people needed to talk to others "over the back fence" to counteract the impact of regressive talkback show hosts on commercial radio.
Domenic Mico, of the Democrats, said that we are all part of the human race and should have a basic respect for each other.
An ACT Greens spokesperson said that Howard was tearing up the legacyof Menzies, who signed the UN convention on refugees, and Beazley was tearing up the legacy of HV Evatt, who was involved in organising the convention at the UN.
John Passant said that the Socialist Alliance was against the racism and economic rationalism of both major parties, and is for the freeing of the refugees on the MS Tampa and the detention centres, and for closing down the detention centres.
The rally then marched to Liberal ACT Senator Margaret Reid's office to chant "lock up Ruddock, free the refugees", and "let the refugees land!". It then marched across the road to ALP ACT Senator Bob McMullen's office to chant "free the refugees", and in a message to the ALP "Left", chanted "now is the time to split". Everyone put up their hand to show that they wanted Afghan refugees as their neighbours, and booed when asked if they wanted Pauline Hanson as their neighbour. Then it was up to the next block to the Qantas office to chant "no deportations!" and "don't deport the Bedraies" in a reference to Shayan Bedraie, the Iranian boy featured in the Four Corners expose of the Villawood detention centre. John Passant, of the Socialist Alliance, moved a motion that unions in Qantas be approached to stop deportations, which was passed unanimously. The rally then marched back to Garema Place.
Back to top of pageDear All,
The government will not move to deport the family while legal action is
pending. This means that there is no immediate threat of deportation. While
there are other legal avenues being considered, we need to maintain the
public campaign to demand both that the threat of deportation is lifted
unconditionally and that the family be released. So we still need the union
resolutions, the signatures on the petitions, the messages of support.
The protests in support of Shayan and the Bedraie family were well
supported. On the Monday of the court hearing around 40 people protested
outside the federal court in Sydney. Meredith Burgmann, the Labor president
of the NSW upper house and Jagath Bandara, an organiser from the LHMWU as
well as Cyrus Sarang, a spokesperson for the Bedraie family adressed the
rally. At lunchtime that day, support rallies of around 30 people in
Brisbane, and 200 in Melbourne were held outside the department of
immigration offices.
Barney Cooney, the Victorian Labor senator, who has also publicly disagreed
with Beazley over the refugees Tampa, spoke at the Melbourne rally. He also
spoke at the Canberra rally the previous Friday, which had a tremendous 500
people over the refugees on the Tampa and the Bedraie family.
The government's propaganda offensive againt the family continues. Some of
you may have seen the scandalous article by Piers Akerman (in Sydney it was
in the Daily Telegraph on Thursday) with various allegations about Shayan's
natural mother and portraying Mohammed as a suppoprter of the Islamic
fundamental religious police , The Revolutionary guards. He asserted that
this was one reason that there was no support from the Iranian community. None of the allegation had anything to do with the treatment of the family
in detention, or about their status as asylum seekers.
It was just a dirt job. A full rebuttal of the article is being prepared,
supported by documentary evidence including letters sent to Philip Ruddock
on behalf of the Iranian community supporting the family's case and offering
to support them outside of detention. Muhammed was conscripted into the army
for two years after finishing his diploma. Also Muhammed was given custody
of Shayan (who was 16 months at the time of the divorce) even though it is
usual practice in Iran for the mother to get custody if a male child is
under two years. The article shows the depths to which Ruddock will sink to
try and justify the inhumane treatment of Shayan and the Bedraie family, and
the regime of mandatory detention.
On Monday night (after the federal court hearing was sent to the full
bench), Mohammed wanted to let everyone know how much their efforts
supporting the family means to them. There have been more reports of the
family in the media in Iran and there have been threats to Mohammed's
relations still living there. Mohammed and Zahraa are being allowed to see
Shayan twice a week. He is quite distressed about being separated from the
family. Westmead doctors remain adamant that Shayan should not be separated
in this way, but that the family should be allowed to get accomodation
outside the detantion centre. So thanks everyone for their support so far. Howard's offensive over the
Afghani refugees on the Tampa and the disgraceful support Howard has
received from the parliamentary Labor Party makes our campaign that much
more important. Howard relies on disinformation and fear-mongering. When people know the
truth about what's happening in the detention centres and the truth about
asylum seekers, the polls look a lot different.
By the way there was a protest in Port Moresby outside the Australian High
Commission on Friday. Around a dozen people had a 10m banner saying "Mr
Howard, You are wrong. Noone is illegal."
In solidarity, Marching to the Liberal and Labor Party national offices nearby
After the rally: Picnic for refugees, Glebe Park, with bands, from 1.00pm
Speakers include:
Ian Rintoul
Back to Media releases etc
From Refugee Action Committee (Canberra)
Stop the war on Refugees
Sunday 4 November, 12 noon
Old Parliament House
Come and tell Howard & Beazley:
We are protesting against the kidnapping of asylum seekers by the Navy, and the use of Navy guns to deter boat people. We are protesting against the government forcing small Pacific nations to process asylum seekers.
We are protesting against the wave of new laws which deny boat people the right to seek asylum when they arrive at Australian islands, and which deny them any possibility of permanent residence to build a new life here.
We are protesting against government racism, which demonises asylum seekers as ruthless and dishonest and potential terrorists. We are protesting against the locking up of asylum seekers in concentration camps in the desert.
We are protesting against one of the great human rights crimes in our history, carried out by Labor and Liberal governments, and supported by the current Opposition.
Phil Griffiths
Refugee Action Committee (Canberra)