BY SARAH STEPHEN
& JOHN GAUCI
CANBERRA — "If international law was to have penalties, and if Woomera detention centre was to be a receptacle for those who breached [it], our prime minister and immigration minister would be behind the razor wire", Greens Senator Bob Brown told cheering protesters on February 12. Brown was one of 4000 refugee-rights supporters who converged on Canberra to protest outside the opening of parliament for 2002.
Parliament House lawns were transformed in a colourful display of opposition to the government's inhumane refugee policies. Protesters had travelled from places as distant and diverse as Castlemaine, Byron Bay, Melbourne, the Blue Mountains, Braidwood, Bendigo, Armidale, Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and Bowral to attend.
Rural Australians for Refugees (RAR), Resistance, Children out of Detention (ChilOut), Labor for Refugees, the Greens, the Socialist Alliance and a number of unions, including the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, the Australian Education Union and the Community and Public Sector Union, had organised members and supporters to attend. Many other groups were also represented.
"I hope today's rally is a wake-up call to [Prime Minister] John Howard — and the ALP", Yasmin, who had travelled from Wollongong, told Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly. "I hope they realise that there are people who are not fooled by their lies."
Anger at the government was common among other protesters. "Howard and [immigration minister Philip] Ruddock are mean-spirited men with small hearts", Irene Hornsby told GLW. "I'm embarrassed to be Australian".
Many were angry at the ALP. Alisa Stent told GLW that she was "astounded to find that Labor put the system of mandatory detention in". She believed that Labor was preventing a "free debate" on the issue.
Shakira, who lives in Canberra, said she came because the demonisation of refugees "has had a bad effect on Muslims, even people who were born here".
The lengthy speakers list was another indication of the growing breadth of the movement to free the refugees. Sharan Burrow, president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), received rousing applause when she said, "There will be no rest until mandatory detention is shelved".
Outlining the ACTU's opposition to mandatory detention, Burrow ridiculed the notion that 3000 asylum seekers are a threat. She asked: "What about the 60,000 illegal over-stayers? We're not worried about them, we don't send out search squads to pick them up." She called on the government to "raise the refugee and immigration quota, free the asylum seekers and restore Australia's dignity".
Susan Varga from Bowral in NSW, spoke as one of the founders of RAR. "We formed RAR to show that compassionate people are everywhere", Varga explained. "The mood is changing — politicians must listen. Opposition, have courage! You have two years to bring the population around — DO IT! We will keep going in our work until Australia is the hospitable place we all love!"
Bob Brown and Labor backbencher Duncan Kerr accepted a petition, signed by 5000 Tasmanians, calling for an end to mandatory detention of asylum seekers and temporary protection visas.
Brown, much to the delight of the crowd, furiously condemned the bipartisan refugee policy. "Today, thousands of us are here to express a different kind of Australia", he said. "Where there are people who suffer fear of death or persecution, where there are humans living in filth, fear and desperation, they should be welcomed to share this great land of ours.
"We will intensify the fight [to end mandatory detention]", Brown declared. He finished with a challenge: "The prime minister and [ALP opposition leader] Simon Crean were in St Paul's Cathedral this morning, and they prayed for 'those for whom each day is threatening, for the refugees, for the persecuted'. I say to John Howard, don't ask god to do what you are empowered to do yourself."
Much of the corporate media coverage of the event focused on ALP shadow minister for reconciliation, Carmen Lawrence. Lawrence ascended the platform flanked by ALP parliamentarians Anthony Albanese, George Campbell, Jan McLucas, Trish Crossin, Duncan Kerr, Jann McFarlane, Maria Vamvakinou (all from the "left" faction), Julia Irwin (from the "right" faction) and Kelly Hoare (a member of the "centre left" faction). Her appearance was greeted by booing from various Â鶹´«Ã½ of the crowd, and polite clapping from others.
"The prime minister says there are no alternatives to the current policy, that it is regrettable but necessary. There are alternatives, and my own party explored some of these yesterday", Lawrence argued. "We agreed that you can't turn people away from Australia, and that there needs to be a further review of mandatory detention."
In defiance of hecklers, Lawrence launched into a defence of the ALP's policy on refugees. There are only two sets of circumstances, Lawrence argued, in which the ALP believes that detention should be used: for identity, security and health checks; and for those who've failed to win refugee status who are waiting to be removed from Australia.
"It's an important start", Lawrence argued. "At the recent election, Australian people were provided with no alternative... There are alternatives and we must embrace them. We can change and we must change."
The chair of the rally, Phil Griffiths, read out a statement from disendorsed Liberal candidate from Tasmania, Greg Barnes, who was unable to be at the rally. It read: "The federal government and the Labor opposition are failing the Australian people. Mandatory detention is inexcusable. Now is the time for people to speak out. Stop putting party unity and political games ahead of human rights."
Democrats leader Natasha Stott Despoja decided to speak at the rally at the last minute, replacing the scheduled Senator Andrew Bartlett.
Pat Brewer from the Socialist Alliance also addressed the crowd. "There is only one way to change this policy, and that is by keeping up the fight", said Brewer, who is an activist in the Canberra Refugee Action Collective.
Statements in support of refugees were not enough, Brewer argued. "From here we have to go out and convince our workmates, our classmates, our friends and our families to join us in defeating this policy. The visible, public, growing outrage at the treatment of refugees is already starting to impact on public opinion."
The rally observed one minute's silence for all those who have died in detention or on their way to Australia. A special mention was made of Pakistani refugee Shiraz Kayani, who set himself alight only metres from the site of the rally, because his family had been denied permission to join him in Australia.
A number of refugees addressed the rally, including Ali Mehdi from Iraq, who told the crowd he wanted to come to a free country and start a new life. "In 1999, I was detained for a year in Curtin detention centre. That year seemed like 20 years, it passed very slowly and painfully. They tortured and beat us. I couldn't believe we came to a free, democratic country."
Mehdi explained that he was released on a temporary protection visa, which did not allow him to leave Australia to visit his family, or to bring them here. In desperation, his family paid a boat operator to bring them to Australia without documents. They were killed when the boat sank. "[My family] escaped persecution in Iraq, but John Howard finished the job. Can anybody give me back my family? Who's responsible?", he asked. "John Howard!", the protesters roared.
Iranian Mohamad Fatanis, recently released from Curtin detention centre, said that while terrorists kill people in an instance, racists kill people slowly, over many years.
Margaret Reynolds, president of the United Nations Association of Australia, declared: "Today's rally is heart-warming, but there must be more! We must refuse to give up until mandatory detention is gone completely."
Other speakers included Sandy Santmeyers representing the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia; Mohammad Alganarvie from Melbourne's Refugee Action Committee and Tanya Plibersek representing NSW Labor for Refugees.
After the official platform, protesters remained to chant and "jump for refugees". Despite a heavy-handed police response to this, the protest remained peaceful and eventually merged into an open discussion amongst activists about the refugee campaign.
From Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly, February 20, 2002.
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