The Welcome Refugees rally will be on Sunday 19 April, at 1pm in Belmore Park, Sydney (near Central).
This rally will not be on Palm Sunday as usual, as that date fell the day after the NSW state election this year, so we decided to hold this rally in April.
The last year has seen a seemingly endless succession of abuses against refugees. The recent Human Rights Commission report exposed again the damage being done to children in detention in particular. But the government has chosen to shoot the messenger with a concerted campaign against Commission President Gillian Triggs. Although it says it is getting children out of detention, there are 119 in detention and others in the community on Nauru that are going nowhere.
But it is not just children harmed by detention. A year ago on Manus Island, Reza Barati was killed and scores of others savagely beaten by detention centre guards and locals. Manus is still not safe. The fear of further attacks drove protests and a mass hunger strike by asylum seekers in January.
The momentum for change is growing. Last year’s Palm Sunday demonstrations were the largest for refugee rights since the Howard years. Over 200 groups signed a statement against children in detention following the Human Rights Commission report. Christian leaders have staged actions at MP’s offices around the country as part of the “Love makes a way” campaign. We hope that this rally in April can be a broad and powerful statement of opposition to government policies and of support for refugees.
Download posters or leaflet design to print and stick up at work or near where you live
Colour poster here
Black and white poster
Colour A5 leaflet design
Endorsed by: Arab Council Australia, Asylum Seekers Centre, Australian Kurdish Association—Sydney, Australian Tamil Congress, Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group, Cana Communities, Carmelite Justice, Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay, ChilOut, Columban Mission Institute, CPA (ML), Edmund Rice Centre for Justice and Community Education, Evatt foundation, Independent Education Union, Josephite Justice office, Labor for Refugees (NSW), Maritime Union of Australia, Metropolitan Community Church, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Justice and Peace Centre, National Tertiary Education Union (NSW), National Union of Workers (General branch), NSW Greens, NSW Nurses and Midwives Association, NSW Teachers Federation, Pax Christi Australia (NSW), Peace & Integrity of Creation Commission, Refugee Action Coalition, Refugee Council of Australia , Search Foundation, Socialist Alliance, Solidarity, Sydney Peace and Justice Coalition, The Grail (NSW/ACT), Unions for Refugees, Unions NSW, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Women and the Australian church.
