Rally for refugees highlights plight of forgotten people

A crowd of more than 200 people gathered at the Wollongong Town Hall on a Sunday in March to demand justice for those fleeing war and persecution.

At the Refugee Action Collective (RAC) Illawarra Palm Sunday rally, attendees called for an end to the cruel treatment and torture of asylum seekers.

Greens NSW Senator David Shoebridge spoke on the key demands of the rally, including closure of the Nauru detention centre, an end to refugee jails and permanent protection for refugees in Australia. 

“Just in the last 24 hours, we’ve heard that Donald Trump has done an obscene deal with Cameroon to deport people unwillingly to Cameroon who have been found to have asylum claims... And it is terrible, and it is awful,” Shoebridge said.

“But where did Donald Trump learn that? Where did his bureaucrats learn that you can corrupt a third country and unwillingly deport people to that country?

“They learned it from the laboratory of cruelty that is the Labor Party and the Coalition, but largely the Labor Party in Australia and their cruel deal with Nauru. And we condemn it, and we say tear up the Nauru deal. Don't deport people to cruelty!”

Addressing the recent legislative shifts regarding Iranian visas, Shoebridge criticised the government's decision to “shut the door” on thousands who had already been assessed for security.

“When it became clear that one of the obvious consequences of war was about to happen... what did our government do? Our government passed yet another cruel extension of our cruel refugee laws,” he said.

“They shut the door on them because they didn’t want them coming here and putting in an onshore claim, a humanitarian claim for asylum... the shamelessness of these people.

“We are watching this world spiral into chaos... but I'll tell you who I think we have a lot in common with.

“We have a huge amount in common with that mum and dad taking their kids to school in Tehran, or the family wondering if they'll be safe in their apartment in Beirut, or us here walking about our lives in Port Kembla. That's who we need to unite with and find common cause with.”

Shoebridge further addressed the $375 billion AUKUS deal and the $8 billion nuclear submarine base under construction at Garden Island. 

“Imagine what we could do for world peace with $375 billion. We could have rock-solid amazing public education and health here. [The base] doesn’t make Perth safe. That makes Perth a target,” he said.

Addressing the crowd, Safaa Rayan, a Palestinian-Australian woman and member of Wollongong Friends of Palestine, connected local industrial production to global conflict.

“There is a factory not too far from here. It is called Bisalloy... Bisalloy sells its armoured steel to that entity known as Israel. Israel uses that steel to create its Merkava tanks,” she said.

“Since the genocide of Gaza... their profit has significantly increased and their share price has significantly increased.”

Safaa spoke about her personal experiences, explaining the technical and emotional reality of displacement.

“I was born a stateless Palestinian refugee... at birth, I was known as nationality unknown, undocumented. That meant I couldn’t travel like most people, my refugee experience was marked by political and social instability,” she said.

“In Jerusalem, Palestinian Christians marking this day, a holy day, would be persecuted, spat on, attacked by those who hold weapons.

“If Jesus were alive today, he would be stuck at a checkpoint. If Jesus were alive today, he would be holding a blue identity card at that checkpoint.”

The Refugee Action Collective Illawarra, organisers of the event, formed in 2007 to advocate refugees and asylum seekers by lobbying the government to change policy.

“We're not an organisation that provides like support in terms of housing or emotional support... we’re out there fighting the political fight to try and change the government's policies on refugees,” Dr Marg Perrot, a founding member of the collective, said.

The rally highlighted the 11 Years Too Long campaign, focusing on those living in constant uncertainty.

“The latest sort of thing is trying to get permanent visas for people. Because this idea of being a temporary resident... every six months you could be chucked out of the country,” Dr Marg said.

“People have been here for, you know, 10, 11, 12 years... and they have no security.” 

Dr Marg says peace is the most important thing in the world, and the RAC vows to keep fighting for it.

“Now this may sound crazy, but if everybody was able to access a hot shower every day, the world would be a much better place,” she said.

“Because it would mean there was no war going on, they had access to running water, they must have housing, they must have food, they must have clothing… all that stuff before you get to the hot shower. That's my vision for the world.”

Organisers urged the community to stay involved by joining the Refugee Action Collective or attending upcoming events.

Future events include the May Day march on May 1, starting at 5pm at Lowden Square. The Nakba Day protest is scheduled for May 15 at 6pm in the Crown Street Mall. The protest marks the anniversary of the 1948 expulsion of Palestinians.