They sailed for survival, for peace and justice,
They sailed for each other, they put their faith in us,
But you hold them in your gulags, your island cells of shame,
To teach them all a lesson, you hold them in our name.
They sailed across the ocean
A nightmare world afloat
They're reaching out for freedom
In their Flotillas of Hope
You say you protect our borders, while you propagate your lies
They're left in hell to wonder, if their hands will be untied.
Will they see the dream they cherished, a future for their sons and daughters
Or will you send them back to perish, an outcast's death, an untold torture.
They sailed across the ocean
With dignity afloat
They're reaching out for freedom
In their Flotillas of Hope
So we sail for their survival, for peace and justice
We sail for their freedom, and every one of us.
Release them from your gulags; restore integrity,
We'll sail to them determined, 'til you release our refugees.
We sail across the ocean
With dignity afloat
We're reaching out for freedom
In our Flotillas of Hope
Ernesto Presente
[On May 15, a flotilla of boats will set sail from Sydney Harbour for Nauru. After stopping in Brisbane on May 22, where more boats will join them, they plan to arrive at the small island nation in time for World Refugee Day on June 20.
[There, boats will converge from the US mainland, Hawaii, Colombia and New Zealand to bring to the world's attention the ongoing mistreatment of people seeking freedom and hope on the high seas. The voyage will peacefully show that ordinary people in Australia do not support the actions of the Australian government.
To support the campaign and find out more about the Flotillas of Hope go to <http://www.flotilla2004.com>. Donations are desperately needed to support the voyage. To help, make a cheque out and send it to Flotillas of Hope, Octapod, 3/231 King Street, Newcastle NSW 2300.
From Green Left Weekly, April 21, 2004.
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