Rally for refugees - BRING THEM HERE
Sunday, October 8 at 1 PM - 3 PM
King George Square
(Adelaide St, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 4000)
Nauru and Manus are not safe The rally is calling to bring the refugees on Manus and Nauru to safety in Australia now, and to put an end to offshore processing and mandatory detention. It is crystal clear from the leaked Trump and Turnbull transcript that the US refugee deal is a sham. After all these months only a tiny number have been taken. Even if it goes ahead in full, hundreds will still be left behind on Manus and Nauru. Manus was declared illegal well over a year ago, and is supposed to ‘close’ again at the end of October, but the refugees will still be there. Pressure on the refugees on Manus to leave the detention centre is growing daily, as Immigration bulldozes compounds, cut back activities and shuts off power and water. But it is not safe for refugees outside in the community on Manus Island. In late June a refugee was attacked with a machete and robbed, almost losing his arm. PNG and Nauru are unwilling and unable to permanently resettle refugees, and both are dangerous places for refugees to live. Hamed, a 31 year old Iranian was found hanging from a tree in Lorengau in August, his is the seventh death offshore. In June the Australian government agreed to pay compensation to refugees illegally imprisoned on Manus Island. It is an admission that the Australian government is responsible, but no amount of money can compensate for the damage done. Four years of asylum seekers lives have been stolen and the crime for which compensation is being paid is continuing.