Thousands protest Australia’s refugee detention policy
Canberra claims its policy deters people from embarking on treacherous sea journeys, but rights groups and the UN say the wealthy nation is turning its back on vulnerable people
Thousands of people marched in major cities across Australia on Saturday calling for an end to Canberra’s offshore detention of asylum seekers.
The government sends anyone who tries to enter the country by sea to camps on Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island or Nauru in the Pacific for processing.
Protesters took to the streets to mark the fifth anniversary of the policy’s reintroduction, when in 2013 Canberra significantly toughened its stance, signing deals with the Pacific nations and declaring anyone arriving by boat had “no chance” of being settled in Australia.
“The policy that was introduced in 2013, to expel people – the ‘fortress Australia’ policy that [the government] put in place – that has to go,” rally organiser Ian Rintoul from the Refugee Action Coalition told Sydney protesters. “So we fight to close the detention centres on Manus and Nauru, but we fight in that process to bring them here.”
Hundreds marched through Sydney shouting, “Free, free the refugees”, with banners saying, “Five years too long, evacuate Manus and Nauru”. Joint rallies were held in Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra and Perth.
Canberra says its policy deters people from embarking on treacherous sea journeys, but rights groups and the United Nations have accused the wealthy nation for turning its back on vulnerable people, as reports of abuse, suicide and despondency filter out of the camps.
