#FiveYearsTooLong Refugee Protests in Sydney on July 19th

A public gathering and symbolic action to send a powerful message to the politicians and the public. Twelve pairs of shoes and 12 images, representing the 12 refugees who have died on Manus and Nauru, will be on display for media photographing and filming. (In Revesby, representatives from the Liberal, Labor and Greens political parties are invited to speak.)  

Media Coverage:

12 Empty Chairs: A Haunting Reminder of Detention Deaths, in Vigils Across Australia

Support for Refugees is Growing – But There’s Hatred and it’s Troubling, say Activists

Reported by local 1688.com.au media (in Chinese)

Background:

Twelve refugees have died since the Australian Government reopened the offshore immigration detention centres on the remote islands of Manus (PNG) and Nauru on 19 July 2013. They have been killed by our cruel and inhumane refugee and asylum seeker policies. They are the forgotten hostages, detained by our government in order to deter people seeking protection from coming here by boat.

The boats NEVER stopped. We know that at least 32 boats and 771 people have been turned back since September 2013 under Operation Sovereign Borders; the last boat turned around was in December 2017 and contained 29 people (source: Senate Estimates). Why do we continue to torment hostages on Manus and Nauru for a false premise and a lie? This cruelty cannot be allowed to continue and needs to be stopped now!

More than 1,500 innocent people, including about 130 children have been locked up for five years. The mainstream media has failed to report incidents of sexual harassment, child abuse, excessive violence by the guards, medical neglect, and mental illnesses occurring in detention. In order to tackle the Government's "out of sight, out of mind" tactics, we are bringing actions to local electorates, starting with Banks and Parramatta.

Our government knows there is a fairer, more humane and sustainable approach to asylum seekers and refugees. They know that torture does not stop desperate people fleeing for their lives. We demand both Liberal and Labor parties #EvacuateNow #CloseTheCamps and  #TurnBackToHumanity.