BY NADEEM ANSARI
CANBERRA — More than 500 people turned out on November 4 to demand an end to the war on refugees in a protest organised by the Refugee Action Collective.
First to address the crowd was Wadjularbinna from the Aboriginal Tent Embassy who said: "Refugees are welcome here because they have nowhere else to go."
Pene Matthew, an international law expert from the Australian National University, asked the protesters why the Australian government is denying refugees entry, given that it was the sixth country to ratify the 1951 UN convention on refugees. "Australia is shifting the burden of refugees back to poor countries", she said.
Barry Howarth from the National Tertiary Education Union offered support for refugees from the ACT Trades and Labor Council.
Thanking the crowd for speaking in favour of refugees, Diana Abdul-Rahman from Muslim Women called on people to keep building refugee rights rallies. She explained how refugees on temporary protection visas risk placing their status in jeopardy if they speak out about their rights.
The rally marched to the Liberal Party headquarters where a minute's silence was observed for 350 recently drowned refugees. Three federal election candidates who support refugee rights spoke — James Vassilopoulos from the Socialist Alliance, Gary Core from the Australian Greens and Wayne Sievers from the Australian Democrats, who was heckled from the crowd about his party's preferencing of the Liberals in some seats.
The march concluded at Parliament House where rally chair, Phil Griffiths, urged people to keep campaigning for refugees, noting that they had increasing support in the Australian community.
From Green Left Weekly, November 14, 2001.
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