Speakers at Newcastle’s refugee week rally on June 24, including Rafi, a detainee on Manus Island who spoke via telephone, called for activists to keep up the pressure on the government’s inhumane refuge policies.
Gleny Rae, Go back to where you came from; Fr Rod Bower, Gosford Anglicans; Dr Kate Murton, Doctors for Refugees; Keira Dott, Students Against Detention; Ian Rintoul, Refugee Action Coalition; Rafi, from Manus Island via telephone; Councillor Therese Dole, Newcastle City Council and others spoke about maintaining the rage.
The 100 participants then exerted firm and persistent pressure on a piñata shaped in the form of Peter Dutton’s head (pictured).
When the effigy collapsed, visas awarded to refugees “for bravery, determination, patience and love; for wanting to build a better life; for speaking languages other than English; for sharing cultural beliefs, values and practices that enrich us all” from the Republic of Australia tumbled out.
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