National rallies for refugees
A thousand refugee protesters were expected in Sydney yesterday. Mounted Police expressed surprise that there are at least four times that number filling the streets to Circular Quay.
The group spread onto George Street marched past the PNG consulate to Circular Quay: landing place of the first boat people.
Sydney Speakers included Mark Goudkamp of RAC Sydney and Teachers for Refugees Sydney, former offshore worker Nicole Judge and Fr Rod Bower of the Anglican Church in Gosford.
Concern was expressed by each speaker about the nature of freedom, detention conditions, about secrecy, about the innocence and rights of asylum seekers.
The choice to abuse other vulnerable humans out of selfishness or blind fear was widely condemned.
The event is one of a set of rallies held across the nation today.
As usual, Melbourne attracted the largest crowds.
Article courtesy of an AIMN reader.
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Return to home page500 in Hobart.
Wonderful to see that there so many protesters in Sydney, it warmed my heart and made my day…
Good on them! If I lived in Sydney and was able to walk, I would have joined them!
How Turnbull manages the failed policy of indefinite offshore detention will define his term as Prime Minister and will be his legacy : it could be a legacy to be proud of, it’s up to him.
A first positive move would be to get Dutton out of the Immigration portfolio.
Sarah Hanson -Young lost Immigration, perhaps for caring too much, Dutton will keep his portfolio for being too harsh. Sad.
It just occurred to me Tony Abbott was both an economice migrant and one whoarrived by boat!
May we always keep in mind the fact ( not opinion … 🙂 … ) … that Mr. Turnbull had the benefit of a University education (sans Student Debt ) plus a substantial monetary kick off from his Father. His life history indicates a hefty degree of Privilege, and as an Investment Banker ( Kerry Packer famously declared he would not ever stand between M. T and a Bag of $$ Money $$ ).!!
Consequently he naturally upholds the Conservative ethic … ‘ one gets what one Deserves ! ‘ ..and … as to how One Gets it is beside the point !!…. to declare he is Left of this principle is simply an expression of degree !
As a first generation Australian I am ashamed of our Politicians who adopted ( and currently maintain ) the ” easier solution” of Nauru ….. and I’m mindful of the fact that the Coal-ition voted against the Malaysian proposal put forward by the then Labor Government.! …
Granny Herald let the cat out of the bag on 04.02.15 -Another of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s investments is under scrutiny, with revelations he has a financial stake in the global parent company of the scandal-plagued 7-Eleven empire. Fairfax Media can reveal Mr Turnbull has shares in two international investment funds that invest in Japanese conglomerate Seven & I Holdings. Seven & I’s major subsidiary is Seven-Eleven Japan, which is the parent company of 7-Eleven in the United States. The US company in turn licences the billionaire Withers and Barlow family, who own Australia’s scandal-plagued stores. As a Senate committee prepares to probe the wages exploitation scandal on Friday, Labor has claimed the investment raises concerns Mr Turnbull must address………and turnball is deadly against a RC into the banks, FYI….ANZ/Brown and Hurley,.. conned/destroyed me when I was just 20yrs old.
The usual confusion or?? rally for asylum seekers, refugees, rohingyas or iranians, either or both?
But, who cares, from little things?
Will someone explain to me what Wham was taking about?
Ross,I think he says that he’s usually confused,LOL.
wam generally does speak in riddles, but his/her intentions are good.
Thank you, so much, for posting this.
The protest in Melbourne was, likewise, addressed by various speakers on a ‘dodgy’ sound system. The message was, largely, the same.
“Concern was expressed by each speaker about the nature of freedom, detention conditions, about secrecy, about the innocence and rights of asylum seekers.”
The crowd was representative of Australian society. Male, female, old, young, well dressed, poorly dressed, black, white and every colour in between. I have no idea of the ‘faith’s’ of the people I spoke with. It would only be an irrelevant distraction.
Because of the topography of the library lawn and where I stood, I estimated the crowd at about 2,000.
To be honest, I attended with feelings of anger and frustration.
“The choice to abuse other vulnerable humans out of selfishness or blind fear was widely condemned.”
Anger, because the abuse of the vulnerable is, in my opinion, an obscenity. Frustration, because our ‘leaders’ seem impervious to the anger, let alone its cause.
Because of the ‘dodgy’ sound system, I cannot say who the ‘refugee’ speaker was. He started with “I love you”. The bits of his speech that I heard over the ‘dodgy’ sound system were not only reminders that the vast majority of us are immigrants or that immigrants are grateful for the opportunity to be participants, but that they are passionate about a new future in a new land. None more so than those who have risked their very lives for the ‘privilege’ of living here.
His parting remark was “I love you, Australia.”.
My anger and frustration dissipated a bit when the walk to Federation Square started. There were a lot more than 2,000 in La Trobe Street, out of my view.
These protests, with tens of thousands being involved across this country, remind me of reality. They were not widely reported in MSM.
On the other side, a bunch of knuckleheads in western Melbourne, wearing the ‘Ozzie Niqab’ (the Ozzie flag across the face), decide to fight each other, and get widely reported.
Like Mr Pye, I am ashamed of our politicians (and would add the MSM). I’m a little less ashamed of Australian society.
Thanks again, AIMN. Take care
Simple question. How is it we can spend billions on planes that don’t fly, subs that won’t work and detainment of people (without charge or conviction), yet can’t afford anything else?
http://ow.ly/nj3L3049mYC
Que Sera, Sera?
Take care
Australia needs to accept more refugees. Preferably Muslims, as much as possible.